THK 


LIFE 


OF  THE 


RIGHT  REVEREND 
BEILBY  PORTEUS,  D.  D. 

LATE  BISHOP  OF  LO]NDO]\T. 


B¥   THE 


KEY.  ROBERT  HODGSON,  A.  M.  F.  R.  8. 

Rector  of  St.  George's  Hanover-Square,  and  one  of  tlje 
Chaplains  in  ordinary  to  his  Majesty. 


PUBLISHED  BY  EZRA  SARGEAKT, 

Xo.  86  Broadway,  opposite  Trinity  CLurclu 


1811. 


NO,  5  BURLING -SLIP- 


THE   RIGHT    REVEREND 

SHUTE, 
LORD  BISHOP  OF  DURHAM, 

AND 
THE   RIGHT    REVEREND 

GEORGE, 
LORD  BISHOP  OF  LINCOLN, 

THE  FOLLOWING 

LIFE  OF  DR.  BEILBY  PORTEUS, 

XATE     BISHOP    OF    LONDON, 
FOR    WHOM, 

AS  A  PRELATE, 

THEY   ENTERTAINED   THE   HIGHEST   RESPECT, 
AND, 

AS  A  FRIEND, 

THE   MOST   AFFECTIONATE   REGARD, 

is* 

1VITH   GREAT   DEFERENCE, 

INSCRIBED, 

BY 


THEIR    OBLIGED 


AND   MOST   OBEDIENT   SERVANT, 

ROBERT  HODGSQJY. 


,  Grosvenor-street, 
May  1811. 


THE 

LIFE 

OF 

DR.  BEILBY  PORTEUS, 

BISHOP  OF  LONBON. 


UPON  the  merits  of  the  venerable 
Prelate,  of  whose  writings  a  new  and  com- 
plete edition  is  now  presented  to  the  world, 
the  public  sentiment  has  long  and  justly  de- 
cided :  and  it  is  under  the  impression,  that 
whatever  relates  to  him  will  be  read  with  in- 
terest, that  a  History  of  his  Life  is  here  pre- 
fixed. I  could  much  have  wished  that  the  task 
of  preparing  it  had  fallen  into  abler  hands; 
but  thus  far  I  feel  justified  in  saying,  that 
it  has  been  drawn  from  the  most  authentic 
sources,  and  certainly  with  no  intention  to 
raise  his  character  by  undue  panegyric. 
The  portrait  of  such  a  man  is  best  delineatecj 
ill  the  simple  colouring  of  truth;  and  it  has 
A  2 


LIFE    OF 


been  my  anxious  endeavour,    so  to  repre- 
sent it  in  the  following  pages. 

Dr.  BEILBY  PORTE  us,  late  Bishop  of 
London,  was  the  youngest  but  one  of  nine- 
teen children,  and  was  born  at  York  on  the 
8th  of  May  1731.  His  father  and  mother 
were  natives  of  Virginia,  in  North  America. 
They  were  both  descended  from  good  fa- 
milies, and,  during  their  residence  in  that 
colony,  were  on  a  footing  with  its  principal 
inhabitants,  to  many  of  whom  they  were  al- 
lied. His  father  was  of  no  profession ;  but, 
being  born  to  what  in  that  country  was  con- 
sidered as  an  independent  fortune,  lived 
upon  his  own  estate.  It  consisted  chiefly  of 
plantations  of  tobacco ;  and  on  one  of  these, 
called  Newbottle  (from  a  village  of  that  name 
near  Edinburgh,  once  belonging  to  his  fa- 
mily, but  now  in  the  possession  of  the 
Marquis  of  Lothian),  he  usually  resided. 
The  house  stood  upon  a  rising  ground,  with 
a  gradual  descent  to  York  river,  which  was 
there  at  least  two  miles  over:  and  here  he 
enjoyed  within  himself  every  comfort  and 
convenience  that  a  man  of  moderate  wishes 
could  desire;  living  without  the  burthen  of 
taxes,  and  possessing,  under  the  powerful 


V 
BISHOP    PORTEUS. 

protection  of  this  kingdom,  peace,  plenty, 
and  security.  The  Bishop  had  a  singular 
picture,  which,  though  not  in  the  best  style 
of  colouring,  was  yet  thought  valuable  by 
Sir  Joshua  Reynolds,  as  a  specimen  of  the 
extent  which  the  art  of  painting  had  reached 
at  that  time  in  America :  and  he  hhnself 
very  highly  prized  it,  as  exhibiting  a  faith- 
ful and  interesting  representation  of  his  fa- 
ther's residence. 

His  mother's  name  was  Jennings.  She 
was  said  to  be  distantly  related  to  Sarah  Jen- 
nings, the  wife  of  John,  Duke  of  Marl- 
borough:  and  two  of  her  ancestors,  Sir 
Edmund  and  Sir  Jonathan  Jennings,  lived  at 
Ripon  in  Yorkshire,  for  which  place,  it  ap- 
pears, they  were  both  representatives  in  Par- 
liament in  the  reign  of  James  the  Second. 
Her  father,  Colonel  Jennings,  was  Sir  Ed- 
mund's son,  and  the  first  of  the  family  who 
settled  in  Virginia,  where  he  was  superin- 
tendantof  Indian  affairs  for  that  province; 
became  afterwards  one  of  the  Supreme 
Council;  and  for  some  time  acted  as  De- 
puty Governor  of  the  Colony. 

The  principal  reason  which  induced  the 
Bishop's  father  to  quit  a  situation  so  per. 


LIPS   Off 


fectly  independent  and  comfortable,  as  that 
he  had  in  America,  was  the  desire  of  pro- 
curing for  his  children  better  instruction  than 
he  could  there  obtain.  His  health  besides 
had  been  much  impaired  by  the  climate ; 
and  these  causes  combined,  determined  him 
at  length  to  leave  the  country,  and  remove 
to  England,  which  he  accordingly  did  in 
1720,  and  fixed  himself  in  the  city  of  York. 

In  one  respect,  however,  and  that  an  im- 
portant one,  this  change  in  his  situation  was 
attended  with  consi  erable  inconvenience; 
for,  whilst  his  expenses  every  year  increas- 
ed, his  re  venue  diminished  almost  in  the  same 
proportion;  and  either  by  the  negligence  or 
dishonesty  of  his  agents,  he  received  little 
more  than  a  fourth  part  of  what  ought  to 
have  been  his  real  income.  But  still,  even 
with  such  contracted  means,  he  accomplish- 
ed the  object  nearest  to  his  heart,  that  of 
giving  his  children  an  excellent  education; 
anel  certainly,  in  the  instance  at  least  of  the 
subject  of  these  memoirs,  his  kindness  was 
repaid  beyond  his  most  sanguine  expecta- 
tions. 

After  having  been  for  several  years  at  a 
.small  school  at  York,  Mr.  Porteus,  then  at 


BISHOP   PORTEUS. 

the  age  of  thirteen,  was  placed  at  Ripon, 
under  the  care  of  Mr.  Hyde,  an  upright, 
sensible,  judicious  man,  of  whose  attention 
he  ever  entertained  a  grateful  remembrance  ; 
and  from  him,  at  an  earlier  age  than  is  now 
usually  the  case,  he  was  sent  to  Cambridge, 
where,  by  the  recommendation  and  under 
the  immediate  superintendance  of  his  elder 
brother,  Mr.  Robert  Porteus,*  he  was  ad- 
mitted a  sizer  at  Christ's  College,  of  which 
Dr.  Rooke  was  at  that  time  master,  and  the 
only  person  whom  lie  then  knew  in  the 
University. 

His  attention,    whilst  he   continued    un* 
der  graduate,  was  directed  chiefly  to  rnathe- 

*  This  excellent  man  had  the  living  of  Cockayne 
Hatley,  near  Potton,  in  Bedfordshire ;  and  I  canuot 
mention  his  name,  without  offering  in  this  place  a  tri- 
bute of  a^ectionate  respect  to  his  memory.  With  very 
considerable  iUerary  attainments,  he  combined  the  great- 
est gentleness  and  simplicity  of  manners.  Exemplary 
in  all  his  domestic  duties,  he  was  beloved  by  his  family : 
Indefatigable  in  the  labours  of  his  sacred  office,  he  was 
revered  by  his  parish. — No  one  ever  more  uniformly 
maintained  the  Christian  character :  and  by  those  who 
knew  his  many  virtues,  he  was  most  sincerely  regretted. 
—He  died  in  the  prime  of  life,  and  is  buried  in  Hatley 
church. 


10 


LIFE    OP 


matical  studies  ;  and  in  these,  he  gave  the 
best  proof  of  industry  and  ability,  by  the 
situation  he  obtained  of  tenth  wrangler 
amongst  the  honorary  degrees  of  his  year. 
After  having  taken  his  Bachelor  of  Arts  de- 
gree in  1752,  he  became  a  candidate  for  one 
of  the  gold  medals,  instituted  not  long  before 
by  His  Grace  the  Duke  of  Newcastle,  on 
his  election  to  the  chancellorship,  as  the  re- 
ward of  eminence  in  class.<cal  literature:  and 
on  this,  the  first  occasion  of  their  being  ad- 
judged, he  had  the  merit,  after  a  long  and 
severe  examination,  of  obtaining  the  second  ; 
the  other  successful  competitor  being  Mr. 
Maseres,  then  a  student  at  Clare  Hall,  and 
now  Cursitor  Baron  of  the  Exchequer,  a 
man  of  great  erudition  in  every  department 
of  learning,  and  more  particularly  distin- 
guished by  his  uncommon  depth  and  acute- 
ness  in  the  abstruser  parts  of  analytical 
science. 

In  the  spring  of  the  same  year,  Mr.  Por- 
teus  was  elected  Fellow  of  his  college,  and 
became  a  resident  in  Cambridge.  This,  as 
I  have  frequently  heard  him  say,  was  one  of 
the  happiest  periods  of  his  life.  By  a  series 
of  unlocked  for  occurrences,  he  had  been 


BISHOP   PORTEUS. 


placed  in  a  situation  which  of  all  others  he 
most  coveted;  he  had  leisure  to  prosecute 
at  his  own  discretion  those  pur  qits  which 
were  best  suited  to  his  taste  and  disposition  ; 
and  durine"4he  intervals  of  study  he  was  pas- 
sing his  time  in  the  society  of  friends  whom 
he  respected  and  loved. 

The  happiness  however  which  he  thus 
experienced,  was  not  long  without  alloy  ;  for 
about  this  time  he  was  called  suddenly  into 
Yorkshire  by  the  death  of  his  mother  ;  an 
event  which  filled  him  with  the  deepest 
grief,  and,  together  with  a  severe  cold 
which  he  caught  in  travelling,  brought  on  a 
most  serious  illness,  the  effects  of  which  he 
felt  occasionally  during  his  whole  life. 

On  his  return  to  college,  he  found  that 
without  his  knowledge,  his  friends  had  been 
soliciting  for  him  the  situation  of  Esquire 
Beadle,  which  had  become  vacant  by  the 
promotion  of  Mr.  Borroughs,  afterwards 
Sir  James  Borroughs,  to  the  headship  of 
Caius  College.  It  was  an  office  but  ill  suit- 
ed with  his  turn  of  mind,  and  he  was  at 
first  disinclined  to  accept  it  ;  but  in  conse- 
quence of  the  kind  exertions  which  had 
been  made  in  his  favour,  and,  above  all,  his 


LIFE  OF 


anxiety  to  relieve  his  father  from  any  fur- 
ther expense,  he  .at  last  complied.  He  kept 
it  however  little  more  than  two  years,  hav- 
ing determined  to  make  up  the  deficiency 
in  his  income  in  a  way  more  agreeable  to 
himself,  by  taking  private  pupils.  These, 
with  his  established  character  and  acknow- 
ledged talents,  were  easily  obtained:  and, 
amongst  others,  was  the  late  Lord  Gran- 
tham,  afterwards  ambassador  to  Spain,  and, 
for  a  short  time,  as  his  father  had  been  be- 
fore him,  Secretary  of  State.  He  was  a 
man  of  the  most  amiable  disposition,  of  un- 
blemished integrity,  and  a  highly  cultiva- 
ted understanding  ;  and  his  death,  which 
happened  prematurely  in  1785,  was  general- 
ly and  deeply  lamented;  by  none  however 
more  sincerely  than  by  his  early  friend  and 
tutor,  who-had  conceived  the  highest  opinion 
of  his  abilities,  and  had  lived  with  him  for 
nearly  thirty  years  on  terms  of  mutual  inti- 
macy, confidence,  and  regard. 

Mr.  Porteus  had  been  long  destined  for 
the  church,  as  well  by  his  own  deliberate 
choice,  as  the  wishes  of  his  family;  and  ac- 
cordingly, at  the  age  of  twenty-six,  he  took 
orders,  being  ordained  deacon  at  Buckden 


BISHOP   PORTEl'S. 


in  the  year   1757    by    Dr.    Thomas    theii 
Bishop  of  Lincoln,  and,  not  long  after,  priest 
by  Archbishop  Hutton  at  York,  where  he 
preached  the  ordination  sermon.     On    his 
return  to  the  University,   he  resumed  the 
charge  of  his  pupils  ;  but,  amidst  the  cares 
of  tuition,  he  found  time  for  other  pursuits, 
iindmore  particularly  for  the  exercise  of  his 
poetical  talents,  which  were  certainly  of  no 
ordinary   stamp.     Of  this  indeed  he  soon 
after  gave  a  public  proof,  by  obtaining  Mr. 
Seaton's  prize  for  the  best  English  poem  on 
a  sacred  subject.     The  subject  fixed  upon 
was  "  Death  ;"  and  it  was  one  perhaps  at  that 
time  better  suited  than  any  other  to  his  feel- 
ings, in  consequence  of  his  father's  death, 
which  had  occurred  a  little  before.     The 
loss  of  so  kind  a  parent,  whom  he  most  sin- 
cerely loved,  had  very  deeply  afflicted  him; 
and  he  was  .therefore  well  prepared  to  des- 
cribe in  the  language  of  the  heart  the  sad  and 
solemn  scenes  of  human  mortality.     How 
admirably  he  has  done  it,  those  who  know 
and  can  feel  the  poem,  are  best  able  to  judge* 
It  has  been  long  in  print,  and,  I  believe,, 
has  been    uniformly  considered  as  a  very 


14  LIFE   OP 

able  composition.  Undoubtedly,  as  a  juv 
vcnile  performance,  there  are  few  superior ; 
for  it  displays  a  correctness  of  taste  combined 
with  a  sublimity  of  thought,  and  a  power 
and  justness  of  expression,  which  have  sel- 
dom been  exhibited  in  the  first  effusions  of 
poetry. 

In  the  mean  time  he  was  not  inattentive 
to  the  duties  of  his  profession,  nor  unmind- 
ful of.  the  engagement  into  which  he  had 
entered,  "  to  banish  and  drive  away  all  er- 
roneous and  strange  doctrines  contrary  to 
God's  word."  A  profane  and  very  licen- 
tious pamphlet,  entitled,  "  The  History  of 
the  Man  after  God's  own  Heart,"  was  about 
that  time  much  in  circulation,  and  had  made 
a  dangerous  impressica  on  the  public  mind. 
Its  object  was  to  strike  a  secret  blow  at  Reve- 
lation by  ridiculing  the  habits,  manners,  and 
religion  of  the  Jews,  and,  particularly  by 
representing  the  character  of  David  in  a  most 
odious  point  of  view.  Mr.  Porteus  saw  at 
once  the  fallacy  and  mischief  of  this  publi- 
cation ;  and,  with  the  view  of  checking  its 
pernicious  tendency,  composed  and  preach- 
ed before  the  University  a  sermon  in  answer 


BISHOP   PORTEUS.  15 

to  it,  in  which  he  forcibly  exposed  its  many 
errors  and    misrepresentations ;    vindicated 
the  Mosaic  Law  from  the  charges  brought 
against  it;  and  gave  the  clearest  and  most 
satisfactory  reasons  for  the  high  and  peculiar 
name  by  which  David  was  distinguished, 
namely,  "  the  man  after  God's  own  heart." 
Nothing  indeed  can  be  more  strictly  just, 
than  the  character  which  he  has  there  given 
of  the  Royal  Penitent,  or  more  impressive 
than  the  moral  application  ;  and  it  is  there- 
fore no  wonder  that  the  sermon  should  have 
been  heard,  as  it  was,  with  great  attention  at 
the  time,  and  afterwards,  when  in  print,  most 
favourably  received.     It  is  now  the  fifth  in 
his  second  volume  of  discourses ;  with  the 
omission  however  of   some  passages  of  a 
polemical  nature,  in  order,  as  he  has  himself 
observed,  "  to  render  it  more  practical,  and 
of  course  more  generally  useful." 

Before  the  appearance  of  this  sermon,  he 
stood  high  in  the  estimation  of  the  Univer- 
sity for  literary  attainment ;  but  it  tended  un- 
doubtedly to  raise  him  still  higher  in  the  pub- 
lic opinion ;  and,  as  a  proof  of  it,  he  was  not 
long  after  appointed  by  Archbishop  Seeker 
one  of  his  domestic  chaplains.  This  appoint- 


J6  Ll'FE    OF 

ment  took  place  early  in  1762,  and  in  the 
course  of  that  summer  he  quitted  college, 
where  he  had  lived  most  happily  for  the  last 
fourteen  years,  to  reside  at  Lambeth.  Here 
he  had  ample  leisure  for  his  professional 
studies  ;  and  it  was  besides  a  singular  advan- 
tage, which  he  did  not  fail  to  improve,  to 
have  constantly  before  him  such  a  guide  as 
the  Archbishop  ;  a  man  whom  he  well  de- 
scribes "  as  endowed  with  superior  talents, 
which  he  had  highly  cultivated ;  of  a  strong 
and  sound  understanding ;  of  extensive  and 
profound  erudition,  more  particularly  in 
Hebrew  literature,  and  every  branch  of  theo- 
logy ;  an  admired  and  useful  preacher ;  of 
unblemished  purity  of  manners,  unaffected 
piety,  unbounded  benevolence,  and  exem- 
plary in  the  discharge  of  all  his  various  func- 
tions, as  a  parochial  clergyman,  a  bishop, 
and  a  metropolitan.5'  "  He  was  to  me," 
he  adds,  "  a  most  kind  friend  and  a  bountiful 
benefactor :  but  far  beyond  all  the  other 
benefits  I  derived,  was  that  invaluable  one  of 
enjoying  his  conversation,  of  being  honoured 
with  his  direction  and  advice,  and  of  living 
under  the  influence  of  his  example.  These 
were  advantages  indeed ;  and,  although  I  did 


BISHOP    PORTET7S.  17 

not  profit  by  them  so  much  as  I  ought,  yet 
to  them,  under  providence,  I  ascribe  what- 
ever little  credit  I  have  attained  in  the  world, 
and  the  high  situation  I  have  since  arrived 
at  in  the  Church."* 

On  the  13th  of  May  1765,  Mr.  Porteus 
married  Margaret,  eldest  daughter  of  Brian 
Hodgson,  Esq.  of  Ashbourne  in  Derby- 
shire ;  and  in  the  course  of  the  same  year 
he  was  presented  by  the  Archbishop  to  the 
two  small  livings  of  Rucking  and  Witter- 
sham  in  Kent,  which,  however,  he  soon  re- 
signed for  the  rectory  of  Hunton,  in  the 
same  county,  in  addition  to  a  prebend  at 
Peterborough,  which  had  been  given  him  by 
His  Grace  before.  Upon  the  death  of  Dr. 
Denne,  in  1767,  he  obtained  the  rectory  of 
Lambeth;  and  soon  after  this,  he  took  his 
degree  of  Doctor  in  Divinity,  on  which  oc- 
casion he  preached  the  Commencement  ser- 
mon. In  this  discourse,  which  is  now  the 

*  This  and  other  passages  in  the  Bishop's  own  Avords, 
which  the  reader  will  find  introduced  into  his  life,  are 
extracted .  chiefly  from  several  manuscript  volumes  in 
my  possession,  and  in  his' own  hand-writing,  containing  a 
great  variety  of  facts,  and  observations  on  the  principal 
incidents  of  his  life. 


I*  J.IFfe    O*' 

eighth  of  his  first  volume,  "  I  ventured,"  lie 
says,  "  to  recommend  it  to  the  University  to 
pay  a  little  more  attention  to  the  instruction 
of  their  youth,  especially  those  designed  for 
orders,  in  the  principles  of  revealed  religion. 
I  proposed  that  these  should  have  a  place 
assigned  to  them  among  the  other  initiatory 
studies  of  the  place ;  that  they  should  have 
the  same  encouragement  given  to  them  as 
all  the  other  sciences;  that  they  should  be 
made  an  indispensable  branch  of  academical 
education,  and  have  their  full  share  of  acade- 
mical honours  and  rewards.  This  produced 
no  practical  effect  at  the  time ;  but  some 
years  afterwards,  Mr.  Norris,  a  gentlemen  of 
fortune  in  Norfolk,  into  whose  hands  some 
extracts  from  this  discourse  happened  to  fall, 
was  induced  by  them  to  found  and  endow  a 
professorship  at  Cambridge,  for  the  sole  pur- 
pose of  giving  lectures  to  the  students  there 
in  the  doctrines  of  revealed  religion,  and  af- 
terwards to  bequeath  by  his  will  a  premium 
of  twelve  pounds  per  aim.  to  the  author  of  the 
best  prose  essay  on  a  sacred  subject;  the  lar- 
ger part  of  that  sum  to  be  expended  on  a 
gold  medal,  and  the  remainder  in  books." 
These,  as  may  be  well  imagined,  were 


BISHOP    rORTECS*  19 

most  gratifying  circumstances  to  Dr.  For- 
tens,  and  far  exceeded  his  expectation.  At 
the  same  time,  the  object  which  he  had  in  view, 
was  in  itself  so  reasonable,  so  evidently  ne- 
cessary in  all  Christian  education,  and  he 
had  enforced  it  in  a  manner  so  powerful  and 
convincing,  that  one  cannot  wonder  it  should 
make  on  serious  minds  a  very  deep  impres- 
sion, and  be  followed  by  some  endeavour, 
either  on  the  part  of  the  University,  or  of 
some  pious  individual,  to  carry  it  into  execu- 
tion. The  result  unquestionably  has  been  a 
most  beneficial  one ;  for  it  has  not  only  pro- 
duced some  excellent  prize  dissertations  on 
various  important  subjects,  and  made  the- 
ology an  essential  part  of  academical  in* 
struction,  but  has  been  the  means  of  giving 
to  the  world  one  of  the  ablest  and  most  com- 
pendious systems  of  divinity,  of  which  it  is 
at  present  in  possession,  namely,  the  Lee- 
tures  delivered  by  the  first  Norrissian  Profes* 
sor,  the  late  Dr.  Hey.  The  reader  will  no 
doubt  be  struck  with  a  great  originality  and 
sometimes  eccentricity  of  illustration;  but, 
as  a  work  of  reference,  full  of  deep  research, 
and  accurate  and  extensive  information, 
more  particularly  with  respect  to  the  his- 


20  LIFE   OF 

tory  and  doctrines  of  the  Church  of  England, 
it  cannot  be  too  strongly  recommended  to  the 
biblical  student. 

On  the  third  of  August  1768,  after  a 
most  harrassing  and  painful  illness,  which 
he  bore  with  the  greatest  fortitude,  and  the 
most  profound  acquiescence  in  the  divine 
will,  Archbishop  Seeker  died  at  Lambeth; 
leaving  his  two  chaplains,  Dr.  Stinton*  and 

*  Of  this  learned,  amiable  and  excellent  man,  tlie 
Bishop  has  left  the  following  short,  but  interesting  ac- 
count : — "  The  death  of  Dr.  George  Stinton,  which  oc- 
curred April  the  30th,  1 783,  was  a  very  severe  and  un- 
expected misfortune  to  me.  He  was  one  of  my  best 
and  dearest  and  most  intimate  friends.  I  had  known 
him,  and  lived  with  him  in  habits  of  the  most  perfect  in- 
timacy, for  near  twenty  years;  during  nhich  time,  not 
the  slightest  difference  ever  arose  between  us.  He  was 
a  man  of  great  integrity  and  worth,  of  superior  abili- 
ties, and  very  extensive  erudition.  Of  the  learned  lan- 
guages, he  was  a  complete  master,  and  was  also  well 
skilled  in  French,  German,  and  Italian.  He  wrote  but 
little,  and  published  only  four  sermons,  all  on  public 
occasions,  and  all  excellent.  He  possessed  the  talent 
of  conversation  in  a  degree  superior  to  almost  any  man 
I  ever  knew,  and  spoke,  as  he  composed,with  remarka- 
ble elegance  and  correctness.  To  this  he  added  a 
large  share  of  wit  and  humour,  all  which  rendered  him 
i  most  agreeable  and  entertaining  companion. 


BISHOP    PORTE?  S.  21 

Dr.  Porteus,  joint  executors,  and  amongst 
other  directions  of  his  will,  committing  to 
their  care  the  revisal  and  publication  of  his 
Lectures  on  the  Catechism,  his  manuscript 
Sermons,  and  other  occasional  writings, 
This  trust  was  faithfully  fulfilled :  and  in 
order  to  render  the  work  more  complete,  as 
well  as  to  pay  the  last  tribute  in  his  power  to 
his  deceased  friend  and  benefactor,  Dr.  Por- 
teus prefixed  a  "  Review  of  the  Archbishop's 
Life  and  Character."  It  is  unquestionably 
a  masterly  performance,  and  one  of  the  hap- 
piest specimens  of  biographical  composition, 
The  character  of  the  Archbishop  is  drawn 
with  accuracy  and  discrimination.  There 
are  no  false  tints  thrown  in  to  embellish  and 
set  off  the  picture.  It  is  touched  with  the 
firm  hand  and  in  the  sober  colouring  of  truth; 

"  He  was  in  appearance,  a  strong,  robust  man,  and 
seemed  calculated,  as  much  as  any  one  I  ever  saw,  for 
long  life.  But  he  was  cut  off  very  suddenly  and  unex- 
pectedly, and  added  one  more  to  the  number  of  those 
striking  instances  of  the  uncertainty  of  human  life,  which 
are  everyday  occurring,  and  which  ought  to  make  a 
stronger  impression  upon  us,  than  they  usually  do.  He 
was  buried  in  the  church  of  All-Hallows  Barking,  of 
which  he  was  Vicar.  I  attended  his  funeral,  and  shed 
tears  of  sincere  grief  over  his  grave.'' 


LIFE  or 


and  the  impression  left  on  the  mind,  is  a 
mingled  sentiment  of  admiration  and  esteem 
for  the  talents,  the  erudition,  the  unostenta- 
tious beneficence,  and  the  profound  Chris- 
tian piety,  of  that  illustrious  Prelate. 

It  was  not  however  merely  by  giving  to 
the  world  this  "  review  of  his  life,"  that 
Dr.  Porteus  testified  his  respect  and  affec- 
tion for  the  memory  of  his  great  Friend. 
He  neglected  afterwards  110  opportunity  of 
defending  him  privately  or  publicly.  He 
suffered  no  calumny  to  go  abroad,  no  unjust 
insinuation  to  be  thrown  out  against  him, 
without  instantly  stepping  forward  to  refute 
and  to  repel  it.  His  anxiety  in  this  particu- 
lar was  unremitting  and  incessant.  As  an 
instance  of  it,  I  can  never  forget  the  surprise 
and  pain  and  indignation,  which  were  exci- 
ted in  his  mind,  upon  reading  two  passages 
in  the  late  Lord  Orford's  works,  in  one  of 
which  the  point  of  an  Epigram  is  made  to 
turn  upon  the  supposition,  that  the  Arch- 
bishop was  a  hypocrite;  and  in  the  other, 
he  is  expressly  charged  in  direct  unqualified 
terms  with  having  been  the  President  of  an 
Atheistical  Club!  Such  assertions  as  these, 
so  disgraceful  in  themselves,  and  so  utterly 


BISHOP   PORTEtiS.  23 

and  grossly  false,  the  Bishop  of  London,  as 
he  then  was,  could  not  suffer  for  a  moment 
to  pass  uncontradicted.  He  wrote  immedi- 
ately to  the  Editor,  Mr  Berry,  stating  in 
the  strongest  terms  the  injustice  and  mis- 
chief of  such  flagrant  misrepresentations, 
and  offering,  if  the  thing  were  possible,  to 
have  the  leaves,  which  contained  them, 
cancelled  at  his  own  expense.  Unfortu- 
nately, the  book  had  got  too  much  into 
cir\  ulation  to  render  this  proposal  feasible : 
but  he  so  far  succeeded,  as  to  obtain  a  direct 
promise  from  Mr.  Berry,  that,  should  the 
work  in  question  ever  reach  a  second  edition, 
the  obnoxious  passages  should  be  expunged. 

The  same  solicitude  was  also  very  strong- 
ly marked  in  another  instance,  upon  his  pe- 
rusing the  Life  of  Bishop  Warburton,  by 
Bishop  Hurd.  His  own  words,  which  fol- 
low, show  how  quick  and  alive  his  feelings 
were  upon  this  subject,  at  the  same  time  that 
they  had  nothing  in  them  of  bitterness  and 
animosity. 

"  In  this  work,"  he  says,  "  I  found  the 
merit  of  Archbishop  Seeker  greatly  under- 
rated, as  a  writer,  a  scholar,  a  divine,  and 
a  critic  in  Hebrew.  I  therefore  thought  my- 


24  LIFE    O* 

self  called  upon,  by  honour  and  by  gratitude, 
to  vindicate  my  old  master  against  these  un- 
just and  injurious  attempts  to  lower  his  cha- 
racter ;  which  I  did  by  publishing,  in  a  sepa- 
rate form,  a  new  edition  of  the  life  prefix- 
ed to  his  works,  adding  at  the  same  time  a 
preface,  and  a  few  notes  tending  to  confute 
Bishop  Hurd's  misrepresentations  of  him  and 
his  writings.  Still,  however,  this  act  of  jus- 
tice to  my  great  Patron,  never  in  the  least 
diminished  the  high  respect  and  veneration 
which  I  always  entertained  for  the  character 
of  Bishop  Kurd;  whose  piety,  learning, 
taste,  and  genius,  rendered  him  the  great 
ornament  of  literature  and  religion,  and  very 
justly  gained  him  not  only  the  esteem,  but 
the  affection,  friendship,  and  confidence  of 
his  Sovereign,  and  raised  him  to  that  dis- 
tinguished situation,  which  he  filled  with  so 
much  dignity  both  in  public  life,  and  in  an 
honourable  retirement  for  so  long  a  course  of 
years." 

After  Archbishop's  Seeker's  death,  Dr. 
Porteus  devoted  his  entire  attention  to  the 
care  of  his  two  benefices,  Hunton  and  Lam- 
beth. Till  his  parsonage  at  the  former  place 
^yas  ready  for  his  reception,  he  resided  at  a 


BISHOP   PORTEVS. 


small  neat  cottage  in  the  village  of  Linton, 
which  was  near  enough  to  enable  him  to  per- 
form with  ease  his  parochial  duties,  superin- 
tend the  repairs,  and  make  such  alterations 
as  the  great  capability  of  the  situation  sugges- 
ted to  his  mind.     He  had  found  the  premi- 
ses at  first  in  a  very  ruinous  and  neglected 
state,  no  rector  having  lived  there  for  above 
thirty  years:  but  he  saw  at  one  glance  the  na- 
tural beauties  of  the  place,  and  that  it  requi- 
red only  a  little  skill  and  taste  to  display  them 
to  advantage.     This  was  gradually  and  at 
some  expense  completely  effected".     A  new 
room  was  afterwards  added  to  the  house; 
and,   by  ornamenting  the  grounds  about  it, 
and  letting  in  the  rich  luxuriant  prospect, 
which  it  commanded  on  every  side,  he  made 
it  at  last  a  most  comfortable  and  delightful 
residence.     Every  thing  indeed  concurred 
to  attach  him  strongly  to  Hunton.     "  It  was 
to  me,"  he   says,  with    all  that  animation, 
which  was  so  peculiar  to  him,  "  a  little  ter- 
restrial Paradise  :  for  though  there  are  many 
parsonages  larger,  handsomer,  and  more  com- 
modious, yet  in  comfort,  warmth,  repose, 
tranquillity,  and  cheerfulness,  in  variety  of 
walks,  shelter,  shade,  and  sunshine,  in  peiv 
c- 


LIFE   OF 


fectly  rural  and  picturesque  scenery,  I  know 
few  superior  to  it.  What  however  is  of 
more  importance,  no  place  was  ever  better 
calculated  to  excite  and  cherish  devout  and 
pious  sentiments  towards  the  great  Creator 
and  Preserver  of  the  Universe.  The  sol- 
emn silence  of  the  thicket  and  the  grove,  the 
extensive  horizon  that  opened  to  the  view, 
the  glories  of  the  rising  and  the  setting  sun, 
the  splendour  of  a  moon-light  night  and  a 
starry  sky,  all  which  presented  themselves  to 
the  eye,  to  a  vast  extent,  without  interruption 
from  the  lawn  before  the  house;  these,  and 
a  variety  of  other  sublime  and  pleasing  ob- 
jects, could  not  fail  to  soothe  and  tranquil- 
ize  and  elevate  the  soul,  and  raise  it  up  to 
high  and  heavenly  contemplations.  But  it 
was  not  the  charms  of  the  country  only, 
which  formed  the  delight  of  Hunton.  The 
neighbourhood  was  excellent,  consistingprin- 
cipally  of  ancient  and  long  established  fami- 
lies,  who  lived  ontheir  own  estates  in  that  de- 
cent hospitality,  and  that  judicious  mixture 
of  society  and  retirement,  which  constitute 
the  true  felicity  of  human  life,  and  which  so 
remarkably  and  so  fortunately  distinguish 
the  gentry  and  nobility  of  England  fromal* 


BISHOP   PORTEUS.  27 

most  all  other  countries  in  Europe.  The 
greater  part  of  them  too  were  not  only  pol- 
ished in  their  manners,  but  of  exemplary  pie- 
ty, probity,  and  benevolence. " 

Much  however  as  he  enjoyed  such  a  re- 
treat and  such  friends  as  these,  it  never  with- 
drew his  thoughts  from  more  serious  and 
more  important  pursuits.  He  discharged 
with  zeal  the  duties  of  his  parish:  preached 
almost  always  in  the  morning;  in  the  after- 
noon very  frequently  lectured  on  the  cate- 
chism ;  and  lost  no  opportunity,  when  he  saw 
fit  occasion,  of  private  admonition.  In  his 
attention  to  the  poor,  he  was  uniform  and 
indefatigable;  he  visited  the  sick,  comforted 
the  afflicted,  relieved  the  indigent :  he  enter- 
ed,  in  short,  with  assiduity  and  earnestness 
into  whatever  could  promote  in  any  degree 
their  temporal  and  eternal  welfare,  and  he 
did  not  labour  in  vain.  "I  had  the  happi- 
ness," he  says,  "  to  see  my  church  well  filled 
with  a  congregation,  neat  and  decent  in  their 
attire,  with  cheerful  and  satisfied  looks,  seri- 
ous in  their  devotions,  and  attentive  and 
grateful  to  their  instructor." 

In  the  winter  months  he  resided  at  Lam- 
beth, wrhere,  not  less  than  in  the  country,  he 


LIFE    OF 


supported  the  high  character  of  a  faithful, 
laborious,  conscientious  parish  priest.  Un- 
fortunately, there  was  here  no  parsonage  in 
which  the  rector  could  reside  :  but  as  there 
was  a  piece  of  ground  of  about  two  acres,  be- 
longing to  the  glebe,  in  an  extremely  good 
situation,  and  at  a  convenient  distance  from 
the  church,  he  thought  that  by  obtaining  an 
act  of  parliament  for  that  purpose,  a  part  of 
this  might  be  sold;  and  with  the  sum  which 
that  produced,  a  fit  and  commodious  resi- 
dence might  be  built  upon  the  remainder. 
Accordingly,  an  agreement  upon  this  princi- 
ple was  made  with  a  builder  at  a  stipulated 
price,  and  a  ground-plan  and  elevation  of  the 
intended  house  were  drawn  under  his  own 
direction.  He  was  not  however  incumbent 
long  enough  to  carry  himself  this  design  in- 
to  execution  ;  but  he  had  made  such  excel- 
lent arrangements,  that  his  successor  Dr. 
Vyse,  had  no  difficulty  in  accomplishing  it; 
and  the  present  parsonage,  than  which  there 
arc  few  better,  was,  with  little  variation,  built 
upon  the  original  plan  proposed  by  Dr.  Por- 
teus. 

Beside  the  active  part  which  he  thus  took 
in  regard  to  the  rectorial  house,  he  found  that 


BISHOP    TORTEUS.  29 

the  affairs  of  the  parish  had  fallen,  from  some 
neglect  or  mismanagement,  into  great  confu- 
sion, in  consequence  of  debts  inadvertently 
contracted  by  the  overseers.     This  was  not 
a  creditable  circumstance  ;  and,  in  conjunc- 
tion therefore   with  the  parish  officers,  and 
the  principal  gentle  men  then  resident  in  Lam- 
beth, he  took  great  pains  to  reduce  them  into 
order.     With  this  view,  the  sum  of  eighteen 
thousand  pounds  was  borrowed  upon  annu- 
ities ;  with  which  they  not  only  cleared  off 
old  incumbrances,  but  had  a  considerable 
surplus  left,  which  was  very  judiciously  ex- 
pended in  repairing  and  embellishing  the 
church,  and  in  other  essential  improvements. 
There  was  nothing  indeed  that    tended  to 
the  credit  and  benefit  of  the  parish,   which 
escaped  his  attention  ;  but  that  especially 
which  occupied  his  thoughts,  and  to  which 
his  chief  anxiety  was  earnestly  directed,  was 
the  salvation  of  those  committed  to  his  care. 
This  was  his  great,  his  never-ceasing  ob- 
ject ;^nd  there  cannot  be  a  stronger  instance 
of  it,*han  the  Letter  which  he  addressed  to 
them,  on  the  more  religious  observance  of 
Good  Friday.     In  this  excellent  little  tract, 
which  has  long  been  in  the  catalogue  of  "  TJie 
c2 


30  LIFE  O* 

Society  for  promoting  Christian  Knowledge,5' 
after  lamenting  the  neglect,  which  then  uni- 
versally prevailed,  of  that  sacred  day,  he  took 
occasion  to  state  the  various  benefits,  which 
it  was  intended  to  commemorate  ;  the  im- 
portance of  them  to  the  welfare  of  mankind ; 
the  unbounded  compassion  in  which  they 
originated ;  and  the  unparalleled  sufferings 
by  which  they  were  accomplished  :  and  from 
hence  he  inferred  the  indispensable  obliga- 
tion under  which  a  Christian  lies,  from  every 
motive  of  interest,  of  duty,  and  of  gratitude, 
to  observe  with  peculiar  strictness  and  devo- 
tion the  anniversary  of  the   Crucifixion ;  a 
day,  which  recalls  forcibly  to  the  mind  the 
stupendous  doctrine  of  atonement;  for  which 
our  Church  has  wisely  provided  a  most  so- 
lemn service,  and  which  is  calculated  more 
than  any  other  to  lay  us  low  before  the  Throne 
of  God  in  penitential  humiliation,  and  to  fill 
the  soul  with  thankfulness  and  love.     All 
these  points  he  touched  upon  in  so  strong,  so 
impressive,  and  so  affectionate  a  nwmer, 
as  could  not  fail  to  have  the  happiest*ffect. 
It  was  indeed  even  greater  than  he  had  rea- 
son to  expect ;  for,  not  only  was  a  more  de- 
vout observance  of  Good  Friday  produced 


BISHOP    POttTEUS.  31 

in  his  own  parish,  but,  as  he  has  himself  ob- 
served, "  on  the  very  next  return  of  that  day, 
the  shops  were  all  shut  up,  the  churches  were 
crowded,  and  the  utmost  seriousness  and  de- 
corum took  place,  throughout  the  cities  of 
London  and  Westminster,  and  their  envi- 
rons." 

In  the  year  1769,  he  had  the  honour  of  be- 
ing appointed  chaplain  to  His  Majesty,  and 
soon  after  he  obtained  the  mastership  of  the 
Hospital  of  St.  Cross,  near  Winchester. — 
This  piece  of  preferment  had  been  selected 
by  Archbishop  Seeker,  as  one  of  his  options, 
and  the  presentation  to  it,  when  it  became 
vacant,  was  left  to  the  discretion  of  certain 
trustees,  to  whom  he  gave  authority  for  that 
purpose.     The  two  persons,  who  were  con- 
sidered, on  mature  deliberation,  as  having 
the  strongest  claims,  were  his  Grace's  chap- 
lains  at  the  time  of  his  decease  ;  and  it  was 
determined  that  Dr.  Porteus  should  have  the 
mastership,  and  that  he  should  resign  his  pre- 
bend of  Peterborough  to  Dr   Stinton.^     In 
consequence  of  this  arrangement,  he  for  some 
years  afterwards  resided  occasionally  at  St. 
Cross.     The  place  had  nothing  very  strik- 
ing to  recommend  it,  especially  after  the 


32  LIFE  OF 

beautiful  scenery  which  he  had  in  such  per- 
fection at  Hunton  :  but  there  was  yet  a  still- 
ness about  it,  which  pleased  him.  The 
neighbourhood  afforded  excellent  society, 
and  he  had  the  satisfaction  of  improving  in 
some  degree  the  condition  of  the  poor  breth- 
ren in  the  hospital,  by  adding  a  small  increase 
of  salary  to  each. 

About  this  time  a  circumstance  occurred, 
which  then  excited  considerable  interest,  and 
in  which  the  part  that  Dr.  Porteus  took  has 
been  much  misinterpreted  and  misunder- . 
stood.  The  following  statement,  in  his  own 
words,  will  place  the  fact  in  its  true  point 
of  view.  "  At  the  close  of  the  year  1772, 
and  the  beginning  of  the  next,  an  attempt 
was  made  by  myself  and  a  few  other  clergy- 
men, among  whom  were  Mr.  Francis  Wai- 
laston,  Dr.  Percy,  now  Bishop  of  Dromore, 
and  Dr.  Yorke,  now  Bishop  of  Ely,  to  in- 
duce the  Bishops  to  promote  a  review  of  the 
Liturgy  and  Articles,  in  order  to  amend  in 
both,  but  particularly  in  the  latter,  those 
parts  which  all  reasonable  persons  agreed 
stood  in  need  of  amendment.  This  plan 
was  not  in  the  smallest  degree  connected  with 
the  Petitioners  at  the  Feathers  Tavern,  but 


BISHOP   PORTE  US. 


on  the  contrary,  was  meant  to  counteract  that 
and  all  similar  extravagant  projects  ;  to 
strengthen  and  confirm  our  Ecclesiastical 
Establishment  ;  to  repel  the  attacks  which 
were  at  that  time  continually  made  upon  it 
by  its  avowed  enemies;  to  render  the  17th 
Article  on  Predestination  and  Election  more 
clear  and  perspicuous,  and  less  liable  to  be 
wrested  by  our  adversaries  to  a  Calvinistic 
sense,  which  has  been  so  unjustly  affixed  to 
it;  to  improve  true  Christian  piety  amongst 
those  of  our  own  communion,  and  to  dimin- 
ish schism  and  separation  by  bringing  over 
to  the  National  Church  all  the  moderate  and 
well  disposed  of  other  persuasions.  On  these 
grounds,  we  applied  in  a  private  and  respect- 
ful manner  to  Archbishop  Cornwallis,  re- 
questing him  to  signify  our  wishes,  (which 
we  conceived  to  be  the  wishes  of  a  very 
large  proportion  both  of  the  clergy  and  the 
laity)  to  the  rest*of  the  Bishops,  that  every 
thing  might  be  done,  which  could  be  pru- 
dently and  safely  done,  to  promote  these  im- 
portant and  salutary  purposes. 

"  The  answer  given  by  the  Archbishop, 
February  11,  1*73,  was  in  these  words  :  '  I 
*  have  consulted  severally  my  brethren  the 


'34  LIFE    O* 

f  Bishops,  and  it  is  the  opinion  of  the 
'  bench  in  general,  that  nothing  can  Li  pru- 
c  dence  be  done  in  the  matter  that  has  been 
c  submited  to  our  consideration  ' 

There  can  be  no  question  that  this  deci- 
sion, viewed  in  all  its  bearings,  was  right ; 
and  Dr.  Porteus,  and  those  with  whom  he 
acted,  entirely  acquiesced  in  it.  They  had 
done  their  duty  in  submitting  to  the  Bench 
such  alterations  as  appeared  to  them  to  be 
conducive  to  the  credit  and  the  interest  of 
the  Church  of  England,  and  of  religion  in 
general ;  and  their  manner  of  doing  it  was 
most  temperate  and  respectful.  At  the 
same  time,  as  it  appears  to  me,  the  proposal 
was  rejected  on  very  satisfactory  and  suf- 
ficent  grounds.  That  in  our  Established 
Liturgy  there  are  some  redundancies  which 
might  be  spared,  and  some  changes  which 
might  be  made  with  advantage,  few  will  be 
disposed  to  deny.  That  in*the  articles  also, 
a  clearer  and  more  intelligible  mode  of  ex- 
pression might  in  parts  be  introduced,  and 
some  passages  amended  or  expunged,  which 
give  a  colour  to  false  interpretation,  may 
equally  be  conceded.  But  the  main  point 
to  be  considered  is,  whether,  however  desira- 


BISHOP    PORTETJS.  iJ5 

ble  it  may  be  to  remove  all  possible  ground 
of  separation  and  schism,  such  alterations  as 
those  suggested,  or  even  any  at  all,  would 
provluce  hat  eftect.    It  has  been  said  by  an 
eminent  Divine,  and  I  perfectly  agree  with 
him,  that  "  it  is  not  in  the  wit  or  in  the  power 
of  man  to  prevent  diversity  of  opinion,  since 
this  is  the  unavoidable  result  of  human  im- 
perfection and  human  liberty,  and  is  not  to 
be  removed,  unless  we  had  more  light  or  less 
agency."    Suppose  the  Liturgy  and  Articles 
to  undergo   a   revision,   would  the  conse- 
quence be  an  union  of  sentiment  ?  What  one 
approved,  there  would  be  still  another  to  con- 
demn;  and  even  "  amongst  the   moderate 
and  well-disposed  of  other  persuasions,"  I  fear 
the  Church,  with  all  her  concessions,  would 
gain  few  converts.     It  is  always  dangerous 
to  innovate,   more  so  in  things    connected 
with  religion  than  in  any  other ;  and  after  all, 
is  there  any  absolute  need  of  change  ?  "  The 
men,"  says  Dr.  Hey,  "  who  were  at  the  head 
of  the  reformation,  were  men  of  the  first  a- 
biiity .     As  scholars,  we  are  mere  children  to 
them.     They  were  conversant  in  Scripture 
to  a  degree,  of  which  few  now  have  any  con- 
ception.    Ecclesiastical  history  lay  open  be- 


LIFE   OF 


fore  them.  Yet  they  were  not  mere  scholars, 
nor  monks,  nor  monkish  men  ;  but  skilled 
in  government,  knowing  men  and  manners, 
liberal  in  behaviour,  free  from  all  fanaticism, 
full  of  probity,  yet  guided  in  their  measures 
by  prudence.  None  then  could  be  chosen 
more  likely  to  frame  a  good  set  of  Forms 
and  Articles.  They  would  fall  short  of  no- 
thing attainable,  through  indolence  or  cow- 
ardice. They  would  set  down  nothing 
carelessly,  on  the  presumption  of  its  passing 
unexamined.  They  would  overshoot  noth- 
ing, in  the  hope  of  catching  a  few.  They 
had  in  short  nothing  for  it,  but  to  fix  on  that 
which  right  reason  and  good  feelings  would 
embrace."  Surely  then  in  the  labours  of 
these  illustrious  men  we  may  contentedly  ac- 
quiesce. They  were  the  result  of  fervent 
piety,  profound  learning,  consummate  pru- 
dence, long,  anxious,  and  patient  deliberation: 
and  I  should  therefore  think  any  change  in- 
expedient and  unwise,  which  was  not  deman- 
ded by  a  strong  necessity,  and  justified  by 
the  clear  and  certain  prospect  of  some  deci- 
sive advantage. 

The  period  had  now  arrived,  when  Dr. 
Porteus  was  to  be  called  to  that  high  station 


BISHOP    PORTEUS.  37 

in  the  Church,  to  which  his  character  and 
talents  so  well  entitled  him,  and  which  he  af- 
terwards filled  with  so  much  credit  to  him- 
self, and  so  much  advantage  to  his  country. 
On  the  20th  of  December  1776,  he  kissed 
the  King's  hand  on  his  promotion  to  the  see 
of  Chester;  a  preferment  on  his  own  part 
perfectly  unsolicited,  and  so  entirely  unlook- 
ed  for,  that,  till  a  short  time  before  it  hap- 
pened, he  had  not  the  smallest  expectation 
of  it.  In  consequence  of  this  accession  of 
dignity,  which  was  conferred  in  the  most 
flattering  and  gracious  manner,  he  resigned 
the  living  of  Lambeth,  though  he  had  per- 
mission to  retain  it:  but  he  thought  that 
with  so  many  additional  cares  he  should  not 
be  able  to  attend  to  so  large  a  benefice,  at 
least  to  the  satisfaction  of  his  own  mind; 
and  he  therefore  hesitated  not  a  moment  in 
giving  it  up  into  other  hands.  It  was  a 
resolution  founded  only  on  a  strong  sense  of 
duty;  for  it  was  with  feelings  of  sincere 
and  painful  regret  that  he  discontinued  his 
pastoral  connexion  with  a  parish,  where  he 
had  lived  with  many  on  terms  of  friendly 
intercourse,  and  in  which  he  had  so  much 
reason  to  hope,  that  he  had  not  laboured  in 


38  LIFE    OF 

vain-  But  the  affairs  of  a  large  diocese  now 
demanded  his  attention,  and  to  these  he  de- 
termined to  sacrifice  every  other  considera- 
tion. 

From  various  causes,  it  was  not  till  the 
4th  of  July  1777,  that  he  went  to  Chester, 
where  he  lost  no  time  in  entering  with  zeal 
and  ardour  into  the  functions  of  his  office. 
As  soon  as  circumstances  would  permit,  he 
confirmed  in  several  places,  and  in  the  sum- 
mer of  the  year  following,  held  his  primary 
visitation.  The  Charge  which  he  delivered 
to  his  clergy  on  that  occasion,  was  printed 
at  their  request,  and  is  now  for  the  first  time 
added  to  his  works.  Why  it  was  omitted 
in  the  volume  of  tracts,  which  he  afterwards 
published,  I  am  unable  to  say.  It  is  un- 
doubtedly a  performance  of  great  merit,  and 
should  not  be  suffered  to  sink  into  oblivion. 
The  reader  will  find  in  it  the  main  outlines 
of  the  clerical  character  very  ably  drawn. 
The  education  which  a  clergyman  should 
receive ;  the  peculiar  studies  which  he  should 
afterwards  prosecute;  the  dignity  and  im- 
portance of  the  ministry ;  the  various  duties, 
exclusively  of  the  mere  stated  discharge  of 
the  offices  of  the  church,  which  are  insepa- 


BISHOP   FORTEUS. 


rably  attached  to  it  ;  the  advantages  of  per- 
sonal residence  upon  his  cure;  more  espe- 
cially the  indispensable  necessity  of  example, 
to  give  weight  and  efficacy  to  his  instruc- 
tion ;  all  these  considerations  are  urged  with 
force  and  impression:  and,  amongst  other 
points,  the  following  remarks  upon  a  sub- 
ject deeply  involving  the  respectability  of 
our  order,  cannot  be  too  widely  diffused* 
"  Under  the  head  of  appearance"  says  the 
Bishop,  "  give  me  leave  to  mention  the  ar- 
ticle of  dress,  in  which  I  have  observed  with 
concern,  that  some  of  the  younger  clergy  in 
several  parts  of  the  kingdom  (I  mean  not 
particularly  in  this)  have  been  gradually 
departing  from  that  gravity  and  sobriety, 
which  the  nature  of  their  profession,  as  well 
as  the  injunctions  of  the  church,  require. 
We  are  distinguished  from  all  other  persons 
by  a  peculiar  habit,  and  instead  of  being 
ashamed,  wre  ought  rather  to  be  proud  of  it, 
as  a  badge  of  that  high  and  honorable  calling 
to  which  we  have  been  admitted.  If,  from 
a  childish  passion  for  show,  we  endeavour  to 
drop  this  distinction  as  much  as  possible, 
and  to  appear  as  little  like  clergymen,  as 
with  any  decency  we  can;  instead  of  pro- 


40  LIFE   OF 

curing  us  admiration  and  respect,  it  will  only 
expose  us  to  contempt." 

Towards  the  conclusion  of  this  year,  1778, 
the  Bishop  had  an  opportunity  of  very  high- 
ly gratifying  his  own  feelings,  by  being  en- 
abled to  relieve  the  distress  of  a  poor  cler- 
gyman in  his  diocese,  whose  situation  and 
circumstances  were  made  known  to  him  in 
the  following  letter: 


"  My  Lord, 

"  IMPELLED  by  a  gloomy  fit  of  reflec- 
tion (and  many  I  have  God  knows)  on  my 
condition,  I  prostrate  myself  at  your  feet, 
imploring  in  the  humblest  manner  compas- 
sion and  regard.  If  distress  has  eloquence, 
and  may  be  permitted  to  plead,  I  have,  alas ! 
but  two  powerful  an  advocate  in  my  favour, 

"  lam,  my  Lord,  the  Curate  of  Wood 
Plumpton,  near  Preston,  where  I  have  serv^ 
ed,  as  such,  for  about  forty-two  years  sue- 
cessively,  and  led  withal  an  obscure  contem- 
plative life.  I  am  now  in  the  sixty- seventh 
year  of  my  age,  and  have  brought  up  six 
sons  and  six  daughters  to  men's  and  women's 
estate,  and  am  grand  father  to  twenty- seven 


BISHOP    PORTELV.  41 

children.  All  my  annual  income  is  only 
something  more  than  forty  pounds.  I  had  a 
small  tenement  here  that  came  by  my  wife, 
but,  as  I  had  contracted  small  debts  time  af- 
ter time,  in  so  long  a  series  of  family  occa- 
sions, have  sold  it  to  discharge  those  engage- 
ments; so  that  my  bare  salary  is  all  that  I 
now  enjoy  for  the  support  of  myself  and  fa- 
mily :  and  such  is  the  indigence  I  am  redu- 
ced to  at  present,  that  were  it  not  for  reli- 
gious prospects,  1  should  be  wretched  be- 
yond the  utmost  energy  of  language  to  ex- 
press. Although  poverty  and  old  age  toge- 
ther be  but  a  mortifying  fate,  yet  as  to  any 
personal  misery,  I  hope  I  could  defy  it  to 
touch  me  with  impatience.  But,  oh!  my 
Lord,  the  thing  that  enervates  all  my  fortitude 
and  cuts  me  to  the  heart,  is,  to  see  my  poor 
family  in  want,  and  to  be  a  spectator  of  their 
misery  without  the  power  of  relief ! 

"  As  you  may  have  the  direction  of  some 
charities,  be  pleased  to  use  your  influence  in 
the  case  of 

"  Your  Lordship's 

"  Faithful  servant, 
"MATHEW  WORTHINGTON." 


42  LIFE    OF 

It  will  easily  be  imagined,  that  a  letter , 
such  as  this,  written  with  all  the  pathetic  elo- 
quence of  undissembled  distress,  could  not 
fail  to  make  a  strong  impression  on  a  feeling 
mind.  The  Bishop  was  exceedingly  struck 
by  it;  and  with  the  assistance  of  the  Chan- 
cellor, Dr.  Peploe,  immediately  opened  a 
subscription,  towards  which  he  contributed 
largely  himself,  as  a  temporary  relief :  soon 
after  which,  the  Living  of  Childwell,  a  vica- 
rage in  his  gift,  becoming  vacant  by  resigna- 
tion, he  immediately  presented  it  to  Mr.  Wor- 
thington.  I  have  related  this  occurrence, 
not  only  because  it  is  in  itself  an  extreme- 
ly interesting  one,  but  as  it  marks  a  very 
conspicuous  feature  in  the  Bishop's  charac- 
ter ;  namely,  the  eagerness  with  which  his 
mind  always  seized  a  benevolent  object.  It 
was  not  a  mere  compliance  with  judgment. 
It  was  not  a  frigid,  dilatory,  reluctant  chan- 
ty, extorted  by  the  occasion.  On  the  con- 
trary, I  never  yet  saw  any  one,  who  appear- 
ed to  me  to  possess  in  a  more  exalted  degree 
the  true  spirit  of  beneficence.  It  came  warm 
from  the  heart,  unchecked  by  cold  calcula- 
tion; whilst  the  good  he  did  became  doubly 
valuable  by  his  manner  of  doing  k. 


BISHOP   PORTECi?.  43 

On  the  10th  of  March  1779,  a  motion  was 
made  in  the  House  of  Commons,  for  leave 
to  bring  in  a  Bill  for  the  further  relief  of 
Protestant  Dissenters ;  the  purport  of  which 
was  to  exempt  them  from  subscription  to 
the  Articles,  and  to  entitle  them  to  the  full 
benefit  of  the  Act  of  Toleration,  on  their 
taking  the  oaths  of  Allegiance  and  Supre- 
macy, and  subscribing  the  Declaration 
against  Popery.  To  this  the  Bench  had  no 
objection;  but  were  at  the  same  time  of 
opinion,  that  in  a  Christian  country  none 
ought  to  be  allowed  to  preach  or  teach  with- 
out  some  formal  acknowledgment  of  their 
being  Christians  and  Protestants,  and  that 
they  will  make  the  Scriptures  the  rule  of  their 
faith  and  practice.  Upon  this  principle  it 
was  agreed  to  move  an  amendment  to  the 
Bill,  containing  a  declaration  to  that  effect, 
and  with  the  exception  of  a  few  expressions, 
the  same  with  that  proposed  by  the  Dissen- 
ters themselves,  on  a  former  application  to 
Parliament  in  1773.  In  the  Bishop's  papers, 
I  find  the  following  reasons  assigned  for  the 
part  which  he  himself  took  in  this  question. 

"  On  the  most  mature  consideration,"  he 
says,  "  I  am  clearly  of  opinion  that  some 


4-4  LIFE   OF 

declaration  was  proper  and  necessary,  and 
that  for  several  reasons.  First,  Because  the 
English  clergy  in  general,  and  many  of  the 
laity,  would  have  been,  and  I  think  justly, 
exceedingly  dissatisfied,  had  the  Bishops 
consented  to  an  unlimited  indulgence  of  re- 
ligious opinions,  without  any  declaration  at 
all. 

"  Secondly,  When  anyone  applies  for  li- 
berty to  preach  and  teach,  the  State  has  a 
right  to  know  what  the  leading  principles  of 
his  religion  are,  in  order  to  be  assured  that 
they  contain  nothing  injurious  to  civil  socie- 
ty, or  to  the  established  form  of  Govern- 
ment. 

"  Thirdly,  If  there  be  no  declaration,  not 
only  Protestant  Dissenters,  but  Mahome- 
tans, Deists,  Atheists  and  Pagans,  will  by 
this  Bill  be  entitled  to  preach  and  teach  their 
opinions  with  impunity  ;  for  any  of  these 
may  pretend  to  be  Protestant  Dissenters. 
And  although  these  may  be  connived  at,  as 
they  now  are,  so  long  as  they  behave  peace- 
ably and  inoffensively,  yet  I  apprehend  the 
legislature  would  not  chuse  to  give  them  a 
legal  toleration.  Indeed  some  of  their  opin- 
ions are  dangerous  to  the  State.  A  Maho< 


BISHOP    PORTEU3.  43 

metan,  for  instance,  holds  it  lawful  to  propa- 
gate his  religion  by  the  sword ;  and  Mr. 
Locke  himself  thinks  that  Atheism  ought 
not  to  be  tolerated.  Certain  however  it  is, 
that  the  intention  of  the  present  Bill  is  to 
give  relief  to  Protestant  Dissenters  only  ; 
and  therefore  there  ought  to  be  some  test, 
to  distinguish  who  are  and  who  are  not  Pro- 
testant Dissenters.  This,  I  think,  will  be 
sufficiently  done  by  the  proposed  Declara- 
tion." 

It  was  accordingly  proposed  by  Lord 
North  himself  to  be  inserted  as  a  clause  in 
the  Bill,  which  was  at  last  agreed  to,  though 
not  till  after  much  opposition  from  several 
members,  particularly  from  Mr.  Wilkes, 
whose  language  on  that  occasion  forms  a  ve- 
ry sufficient  illustration  of  his  religious  prin- 
ciples. He  contended  for  unlimited,  uni- 
versal toleration  ;  observing,  "  that  Mr. 
Locke  was  much  too  confined  in  his  notions, 
when  he  asserted  that  Athesists  ought 
not  to  be  tolerated.  For  his  own  part,  he 
should  wish  to  see  pagodas,  mosques,  and 
temples  of  the  sun,  rising  up  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  our  finest  gothic  cathedrals." 
Notwithstanding  this  pious  declamation,  the 


LIFE    OF 


clause  was  agreed  to  ;  and  when  the  Bill 
was  brought  into  the  House  of  Lords,  it 
passed  unanimously  without  debate  or  di- 
vision. "Thus,"  says  the  Bishop,  u  what 
the  Dissenters  had  been  so  long  struggling 
for,  and  for  which  they  had  twice  before 
applied  to  Parliament  in  vain,  was  at  length 
obtained.  It  was  a  measure  generally  ap- 
proved as  wise  and  just,  and  no  less  conso- 
nant to  the  principles  of  sound  policy,  than 
to  the  genuine  spirit  of  the  Gospel." 

Whilst  the  Government  and  the  Church 
of  England  w^ere  acting  with  this  moderation 
towards  the  Protestant  Dissenters,  it  was 
reasonable  that  some  indulgence  should  be 
shewn  to  the  Roman  Catholics  ;  and  accor- 
dingly in  the  course  of  this  year  an  Act  was 
passed,  repealing  a  severe,  oppressive  law, 
which  had  been  enacted  against  them  in  the 
reign  of  King  William.  But  this  measure, 
though  sanctioned  on  the  same  principles 
of  charity,  and  grounded  on  the  same  policy, 
was  very  differently  received.  In  Scotland, 
the  Calvinistic  clergy,  in  particular,  imme- 
diately took  the  alarm;  and  from  the  exas- 
perating language  of  their  sermons,  aided 
by  some  furious  pamphlets,  which  were  dis- 


BISHOP    PORT  11  S.  47 

seminated  amongst  the  people,   many  dis- 
graceful outrages  were  committed  in  various 
places;  public  meetings  were  held  for  the 
security  of  the  established  religion,  and  the 
General  Assembly  even  passed  a  vote,  that 
any  alteration  of  the  penal  laws  against  Pa- 
pists would  be  dangerous  to  civil  and  reli- 
gious liberty.     About  the  same  time  a  simi- 
lar spirit,  though  at  first  less  violent  in  de- 
gree, manifested  itself  in  England.     A  Pro- 
testant Association,   as  it  was  called,  was 
formed  in  London,   the  avowed  design  of 
which  was  to  oppose  the  progress  of  Pope- 
ry, and  to  counteract  the  effects  of  the  late 
Act,  which  was  affirmed  to  be  of  the  most 
dangerous  tendency.     It    was    stated    that 
several  Popish  schools,  and  mass  houses, 
which  had  before  been  kept  private,   were 
made  public ;    that  many  new  ones  were 
opened  in  several  parts  of  the  Metropolis, 
and  that    the    numbers  resorting  to    them 
greatly  increased.     At  the  same  time  the 
Association  disclaimed  persecution,  as  con- 
trary to  the  Christian  rule,  and  professed  to 
make  use  of  no  other  means,  but  what  were 
clearly  consistent  with  moderation  and  pru- 
dence.    All  this  was  plausible :  and  had  it 


•18  LIFE    OF 

in  a  single  case  been  clearly  substantiated, 
that  a  priest  or  his  congregation  had  refused 
to  take  the  oath  prescribed  by  the  At;  that 
doctrines  had  been  inculcated  injurious  to  the 
Constitution ;  or  that  any  attempts  had  been 
made  to  seduce  Protestants  from  their  faith ; 
there  would  then  have  been  sufficient  ground 
for  alarm:  but  no  such  facts  were  alleged, 
and  still  less  were  they  made  out  in  evidence. 
The  Bishop's  sentiments  upon  this  sub- 
ject are  perfectly  just,  and  worthy  of  his  own 
liberal  and  enlightened  mind.     "  Undoubt- 
edly,"  he   says,    "  we  ought  to  be  on  our 
guard  against  the  arts  and  industry  of  those, 
who  profess  to  teach  the  tenets  of  Popery; 
we  ought  to  combat  their  manifold  errors, 
as  occasions  offer,  both  in  the  pulpit  and 
from  the  press;  and  we  should  in  an  espe- 
cial manner  instil  carefully  into  the  minds 
of  the  young,  the  true  principles  of  Protes- 
tantism.    But,  on  the  other  hand,  admitting 
the  facts,  as  represented,  to  be  true,  if  it  ap- 
pears that  the  schools  and  mass  houses  so 
much  complained  of,  are  only  frequented 
by  persons  of  the  Roman  Catholic  persua- 
sion; if  the  priests  and  their  congregations 
take  the  prescribed  oath ;  if  no  undue  en. 


BISHOP    POllTF.US.  40 

dcavours  are  used  to  make  proselytes,  and 
no  doctrines  are  taught  hostile  to  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  country ;  I  do  not  see  how, 
on  the  principles  of  Toleration  or  of  Chris- 
tianity, any  other  opposition  can  be  made  to 
them,  but  that  of  argument  and  persuasion, 
and  increased  activity  and  zeal  on  our  part 
in  guarding  those  entrusted  to  our  care 
against  the  superstitions  and  errors  of  the 
Church  of  Rome." 

This  surely  is  precisely  the  language  as 
well  of  sound  reason  as  of  true  religion : 
but  it  was  not  that  which  answered  the 
views  of  the  Protestant  Association.  Men 
under  the  influence  of  passion  and  preju- 
dice are  not  easily  repressed  :  and  therefore, 
though  against  the  concurrent  opinion  of 
the  Bishops  and  the  .whole  body  of  the 
English  Clergy,  they  determined,  as  they 
expressed  themselves,  in  the  most  prudent 
and  respectful  manner — in  other  words,  at 
the  head  of  150,000  people — to  present 
their  petition  to  Parliament.  The  conse- 
quences, as  is  well  known,  were  the  riots  of 
1780,  when  a  scene  of  desperate  outrage  was 
exhibited  in  this  Metropolis,  than  which 
nothing  could  be...  more  disgraceful  to  the 


i)()  LIFE  OJb' 

national  character,  or  more  injurious  to  the 
credit  of  the  Established  Faith. 

Early  in  1781,  the  returns  to  an  inquiry, 
which  the  House  of  Lords  had  ordered  to  be 
made,  into  the  number  of  Papists  in  England 
and  Wales,  were  laid  upon  the  table  :  when 
Earl  Ferrers,  who  had  moved  for  that  inquiry, 
observed,  that  it  appeared  evidently  from 
these  returns,  that  there  had  been  a  very  con- 
.siderable  increase  of  Papists  in  this  kingdom, 
and  particularly  in  the  Diocese  of  Chester, 
"  In  that  Diocese,"  he  said,  "  the  number  in 
1717,  was  10,308  ;  in  1767,  it  was  25,139  ; 
and  at  this  time  the  number  given  in  to  the 
House  amounts  to  27,228.  He  therefore  sub- 
mitted to  their  Lordships,  whether  it  would 
not  be  highly  expedient  to  lay  such  restric- 
tions upon  the  Catholics,  as  might  consis- 
tently with  the  true  principles  of  liberality 
and  candour,  prevent  their  further  increase. 
He  was  no  friend  to  persecution ;  but  he 
believed  the  spirit  of  Popery  was  not  chan- 
ged :  and  if  it  was  allowed  to  spread  in  the 
minds  of  the  multitude  without  control,  the 
worst  consequences  at.a  future  period  might 
be  j ustly  2 pprehended. ' ' 

This  proposition,  as  the  facts  on  which  it 


BISHOP   rORTEUS.  61 

I,  referred  principally  to  his  own  Dio- 
,  made  it  necessary  for  the  Bishop  to  re- 
ply :  and  he  has  left  the  following  abstract, 
as  the  substance  of  his  speech  on  that  occa- 
sion. "  As  the  discussion  of  this  subject 
appeared  to  me  exceedingly  dangerous,  and 
as  I  well  knew  that  there  was  no  just  ground 
for  dreading  any  increase  of  Popery,  I 
thought  it  right  to  say  something  in  answer 
to  Lord  Ferrers :  and  undertook  to  prove, 
that  his  statement  of  the  number  of  Catholics 
in  the  Diocese  of  Chester  in  the  year  1717, 
was  extremely  erroneous,  having  been  taken 
only  from  very  inaccurate  returns  to  Bish- 
op Gaskell's  visitatorial  inquiries,  and  not 
from  any  Parliamentary  survey,  which  alone 
could  be  depended  upon  :  that  two  such  sur- 
veys had  been  lately  taken  of  the  number  of 
Papists  in  England  and  Wales,  one  in  1767, 
the  other  in  1780;  that  the  number  returned 
at  the  former  period  was  67,916,  at  the  lat- 
ter, 69,376;  that  the  increase  therefore  in 
these  thirteen  years,  throughout  the  whole 
kingdom,  was  only  1,460,  and  that  this  was 
owing  entirely,  not  to  the  increase  of 
popery,  but  to  the  increase  of  population : 
that  I  had  in  my  own  possession,  in  conse- 


LIFE   OF 


quence  of  inquiries  made  upon  the  sub- 
ject, very  convincing  proofs,  that  in  the  Dio- 
cese of  Chester  alone  there  had  been  with- 
in the  last  sixty  years  an  increase  of  more 
than  250,000  souls,  and  that  this  would  more 
than  account  for  the  progress  which  Popery 
had  made  in  that  See.  Upon  the  whole  I 
contended,  that,  considering  the  great  in- 
crease of  general  population  in  this  realm, 
the  Catholics  were  a  decreasing  rather  than 
an  increasing  quantity,  and  that  there  was 
therefore  no  ground  for  the  alarms,  which 
some  well-meaning  but  certainly  not  well-in- 
formed people  had  taken  on  that  subject. 
These  observations  were  satisfactory  to  the 
House,  and  Lord  Ferrers  withdrew  his  mo- 
tion." 

Whilst  however  the  Bishop  of  Chester 
thus  expressed  his  sentiments  in  Parliament, 
and  endeavoured  to  rectify  errors,  which,  if 
left  uncontradicted,  might  have  tended  to  in- 
flame the  already  irritated  state  of  the  public 
mind  against  the  Catholics  of  this  country, 
he  was  not  unmindful  of  the  real  nature  of 
their  religion,  nor  inattentive  in  guarding 
those  committed  to  his  care  against  its  false 
and  dangerous  tenets.  As  the  best  and  mild- 


BISHOP   PORTKV?. 


est,  and  most  effectual  mode  of  doing  this, 
he  addressed  a  letter  to  his  clergy,  and  at  the 
same  time  printed  for  the  use  of  his  diocese, 
in  the  compendious  form  of  a  small  tract, 
the  substance  of  five  very  admirable  sermons 
by  Archbishop  Seeker,,  which  appeared  to 
him  to  contain  the  most  complete  refutation 
of  Popery  that  he  had  ever  seen  in  so  small 
a  compass.  It  is  indeed  one  of  the  many 
treatises  on  this  subject,  which  should  be  par- 
ticularly put  into  the  hands  of  those,  who  are 
at  all  unsettled  and  waveringintheir  religious 
principles.  It  is  a  short,  perspicuous  state- 
ment of  all  the  points  at  issue  between  Pa- 
pists  and  Protestants.  The  spirit  in  which 
it  is  written  is  truly  Christian,  and  the  gener- 
al argument,  in  my  judgment,  and,  I  think, 
in  the  judgment  of  every  unprejudiced  and 
candid  man,  is  altogether  unanswerable. 

Besides  the  dispersion  of  this  valuable 
little  tract,  the  Bishop  made  it  a  primary  ob- 
ject in  the  course  of  visiting  his  See,  to  in- 
quire  as  minutely  as  possible  into  the  con- 
duct of  the  Catholics  ;  directing  his  clergy 
to  keep  a  vigilant  eye  upon  their  motions, 
and  to  inform  him  of  any  transactions  respec- 
ting them,  which  were  worthy  of  notice  : 

E2 


54  LIFE    Oi? 

and  I  have  his  authority  for  saying,  that  the 
result  of  this  inquiry  was,  that  he  could  not 
find  that  they  had  in  any  instance  attempted  to 
make  converts ;  that  they  adhered  quietly  to 
their  own  persuasion,  without  disturbing  the 
faith  of  their  Protestant  neighbours;  and 
thdt  so  far  from  adding  to  their  numbers,  a 
Popish  priest  had  on  the  contrary  been  con- 
verted, and  regularly  admitted  into  the  church 
of  England. 

These  were  important  facts  at  that  time  ; 
and  I  have  entered  more  largely  into  the  sub- 
ject than  perhaps  I  otherwise  might,  under 
the  conviction  that  they  are  not  unimportant 
now.  It  is  the  full  persuasion  of  my  own 
mind,  that  the  Catholics  in  this  country, 
whatever  may  be  the  case  in  Ireland,  are  con- 
tent with  the  liberty  of  maintaining  their  own 
doctrines,  and  their  own  forms  of  worship, 
without  endeavouring  to  proselyte  others; 
that  their  numbers  only  increase  in  pro- 
portion to  the  increase  of  population ;  and 
that  in  the  present  advanced  state  of  pub- 
lic knowledge,  Protestantism  has  nothing 
to  apprehend  from  the  toleration  of  Po- 
pery. In  fact,  the  real  evils  to  be  dreaded, 
and  on  which  the  attention  of  every  man 


BISHOP   PORTEUS. 

iiis  for  the  preservation  and  the  honour 
of  Christianity  should  be  incessantly  fixed, 
are  dissoluteness  of  manners,  and  the  diffu- 
sion of  infidel  opinions.  These,  if  I  may  use 
the  term,  are  the  P  Y  T  H  o  N  s  we  should  strive 
to  crush.  They  are  destructive  monsters, 
which  assail  the  vitals  of  religion.  They 
strike  at  the  very  foundation  and  root  of  all 
social  virtue  and  all  social  order;  and  it  is 
therefore  against  these,  above  every  thing, 
that  our  penal  laws  should  be  framed,  and 
the  power  of  the  magistrate  directed.  The 
great  Prelate,  whose  life  is  the  subject  of  these 
pages,  undoubtedly  so  thought  and  acted. 
He  was  never  wanting  in  zeal  for  the  Church ; 
but  as  one  of  the  guardians  of  that  Church, 
he  was  persuaded,  that  zeal  could  never  be 
so  well  employed,  as  against  vice  and  infi- 
delity. 

The  following  statement  I  insert  exactly 
as  I  find  it.  It  marks  in  the  strongest  manner 
his  vigilant,  firm,  and  persevering  mind,  and 
the  unremitting  assiduity  with  which  he  ever 
laboured  to  discharge  the  high  and  sacred 
duties  of  a  Christian  Bishop. 

"  The  beginning  of  the  winter  of  1780," 
he  observes,  "  was  distinguished  by  the  rise 


50  LIFE    OJF 

of  a  new  species  of  dissipation  and  profane- 
ness.  A  set  of  needy  and  profligate  adven- 
turers, finding  every  day,  and  almost  every 
hour,  of  the  week  occupied  by  some  amuse- 
ment or  other,  bethought  themselves  of  try- 
ing what  might  be  done  on  a  Sunday.  It 
was  a  novel  and  a  bold  attempt,  but  not  the 
less  likely  to  succeed  in  this  country  and  in 
these  times.  They  therefore  opened  and 
publicly  advertised  two  different  sorts  of  en- 
tertainment for  the  Sunday  evening.  One 
of  these  was  at  Carlisle  House,  and  was  cal- 
led a  Promenade.  The  other  was  a  meet- 
ing at  public  rooms  hired  for  the  purpose, 
and  assumed  the  name  of  Christian  Socle- 
ties,  Religious  Societies^  Theological  Socie- 
ties,  Theological  Academies,  &c.  The  pro- 
fessed design  of  the  former  was  merely  to 
walk  about  and  converse,  and  take  refresh- 
ments, the  price  of  admission  being  three 
shillings :  but  the  real  consequence,  and  pro- 
bably the  real  purpose  of  it,  was  to  draw 
together  dissolute  people  of  both  sexes,  and 
to  make  the  Promenade  a  place  of  assigna- 
tion :  and,  in  fact,  it  was  a  collection  of  the 
lowest  and  most  profligate  characters  that 
could  possibly  be  assembled  together  from 


BISHOP   PORTEUS.  57 

every  part  of  London.  It  gave  offence,  not 
only  to  every  man  of  gravity  and  serious- 
ness, but  even  to  young  men  of  gaiety  and 
freedom,  several  of  whom  I  have  heard 
speak  of  it  with  abhorrence.  Nay,  even  for- 
eigners were  shocked  and  scandalized  at  it, 
considering  it  a  disgrace  to  any  Christian 
country  to  tolerate  so  gross  an  insult  on  all 
decency  and  good  order. 

"  The  business,  or,  as  it  should  be  rather 
called,  the  amusement  proposed  at  the  Sun- 
day Debating  Societies,  was  to  discuss 
passages  of  Scripture,  which  were  selected 
and  given  out  for  that  purpose ;  when  every 
one  present,  ladies  as  well  as  gentlemen,  were 
to  propose  their  doubts,  receive  explana- 
tions, and  display  their  eloquence  on  the 
text  proposed.  It  was  to  be,  in  short,  a 
school  for  Metaphysics,  Ethics,  Pulpit  Ora- 
tory, Church  History,  and  Canon  Law.  It 
is  easy  to  conceive  what  infinite  mischief 
such  debates  as  these  must  do  to  the  young- 
er part  of  the  community,  who,  being  un- 
employed on  this  day,  would  flock  to  any 
assembly  of  this  sort;  would  look  upon 
every  doubt  and  difficulty  started  there  as  an 
unanswerable  argument  against  religion,  and 


5S  LIFE   OF 

would  go  home  absolute  sceptics,  if  not 
confirmed  unbelievers.  Thus,  as  the  Pro- 
menade tended  to  destroy  every  moral  sen- 
timent, the  Theological  Assemblies  were 
calculated  to  extinguish  every  religious  prin- 
ciple; and  both  together  threatened  the 
worst  consequences  to  public  morals 

"  It  was  therefore  highly  necessary  to  put 
a  speedy  and  effectual  stop  to  such  alarming 
evils.  I  mentioned  it  early  in  the  winter  to 
several  persons  of  rank  and  authority,  and 
waited  a  considerable  time  in  the  hope,  that 
some  one  of  more  weight  and  influence  than 
myself,  would  have  stood  forth  on  this  oc- 
casion. But  the  Session  being  now  far  ad- 
vanced, and  finding  no  one  inclined  to  take 
the  matter  up,  it  became  absolutely  necessa- 
ry to  do  something ;  and  I  therefore  resolv- 
ed to  try  what  my  own  exertions  would  do. 
I  first  consulted  several  eminent  lawyers,  as 
well  as  the  principal  acting  magistrates  in 
Westminster,  in  order  to  know,  whether 
either  the  statute  or  the  common  law,  as  they 
now  stood,  was  sufficient  to  check  this  evil. 
They  all  assured  me  that  both  were  insuffi- 
cient, and  that  nothing  but  an  Act  of  Parlia- 
ment, framed  on  purpose,  could  effectually 


BISH01*    POllTEl  S.  59 

suppress  it.  In  consequence  of  this  opinion, 
I  applied  to  a  legal  friend,  and  with  his  as- 
sistance got  a  proper  Bill  sketched  out,  which 
I  afterwards  shewed  to  Lord  Bathurst,  Pre- 
sident of  the  Council,  and  to  Sir  John  Skin- 
ner, Lord  Chief  Baron  of  the  Exchequer; 
and  it  was  afterwards  communicated  to  the 
Lord  Chancellor  Thurlow,  and  Lord  Mans- 
field. After  it  had  received  their  approba- 
tion, I  applied  to  the  Solicitor  General,  Mr. 
Mansfield,  who  undertook  to  move  it  in  the 
House  of  Commons;  and  Sir  William  Dol- 
ben  agreed  to  second  it.  This  they  did  on 
the  3d  of  May  1781,  and  the  Bill  was  en- 
titled, '  An  Act  for  preventing  certain 
'  Abuses  and  Profanations  on  the  Lord's 
i  Day,  commonly  called  Sunday.'  It  was 
violently  opposed  in  its  different  stages 
through  the  House  by  saveral  members, 
particularly  Mr.  Wilkes ;  but  it  passed 
without  a  division.  On  the  second  reading 
of  the  Bill  in  the  House  of  Lords,  it  was 
opposed  principally  by  the  Duke  of  Man- 
chester, who  thought  that  there  were  not 
sufficient  proofs  of  the  mischievous  tendency 
of  the  Sunday  evening  amusements.  *  The 
subjects  of  this  kingdom,1  he  said,  '  should 


GO  LIFE    01? 

be  left  at  perfect  liberty  to  confer  upon  reli-> 
gious  subjects  without  controul :  and  he  did 
not  believe  that  there  was  any  thing  impro- 
per either  in  the  Promenade  or  the  Societies. 
In  his  apprehension,  they  were  perfectly  in- 
nocent :  but,  even  if  the  fact  were  otherwise, 
there  were  lawrs  already  in  force  sufficient  to 
restrain  them  ;  and  there  was  no  necessity  to 
add  to  the  number  of  our  penal  statutes,  al- 
ready sufficiently  numerous.' 

"  In  answer  to  this,  I  observed,  that  al- 
though there  was  no  evidence  at  the  bar, 
to  prove  the  allegations  of  the  preamble, 
which  in  a  public  Bill,  and  in  a  matter  of 
such  notoriety,  I  conceived  was  seldom,  if 
ever,  required  ;  yet  there  were  the  very  best 
grounds  for  believing  the  pernicious  tenden- 
cy of  the  Sunday  evening  amusements  to  be 
much  greater  than  the  preamble  stated.  I 
had  conversed  with  many  persons,  who  had 
themselves  been  present  in  these  places,  and 
was  perfectly  satisfied  that  they  were  highly 
dangerous  in  every  point  of  view.  But, 
even  without  entering  into  their  interior  con- 
stitution and  consequences,  I  could  not  but 
think  that  the  very  external  appearance  of 
them  on  the  Lord's  Day,  was  an  offence 


BISHOP   PORTEUS.  *6t" 

against  common  decency,  and  the  most  an- 
tient  and  venerable  customs  of  this  country. 
They     were    places  of  public  amusement 
opened  on  a  Sunday.     They  were  publicly 
advertised;  where  in  a  public  room;  money 
was  publicly  taken  at  the  door,  and  that  for 
the  avowed  purpose  of  public    amusement. 
This,  I  apprehended,  was  the  very  definition 
of  a  public  diversion  ;  and  it  was  notorious, 
that  public  diversions  had  never  been  permit- 
ted by  the  laws  of  the  land  in  this  kingdom, 
from  the  time  of  the  Reformation  to  the  pre- 
sent moment,  and  I  hoped  they  never  would. 
In  Popish  countries  they  were  indeed  permit- 
ted, though  even  there   they  were  condem- 
ned by  many    serious  men;  for  a  friend  of 
mine,  Dr.  Lort,  in  the  year  1768,   saw  an 
injunction  or  admonition  of  the  Archbishop 
of  Mechlin,   in  one  of  the  towns  under  his 
jurisdiction,  in  which  he  complained  heavily 
of  the  liberties  taken  by  the  people  on  Sun- 
days, and  spoke  in  high  terms  of  the  con- 
duct of  the  Heretics,  that  is,  the  Protestants, 
in  that  respect.     But,  however  these  indul- 
gences might  suit  the  spirit  of  Popery,  they 
did  not  accord  with  the  temper  of  Protes- 
tantism,    They  were  contrary  to  the  spirit  of 


LIFE   OF 

our  constitution ;  contrary  to  the  spirit  of 
our  laws  and  our  religion,     They  were  new 
invasions  of  the  sanctity  of  the  Lord's  Day, 
and  had  never  been  heard  of  in  this  country 
till  within  these  few  years.     The  different 
method  of  observing  Sunday  in  England 
and  in  foreign  countries,  was  one  great  mark 
of  distinction  between  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land and  the  Church  of  Rome,  and  it  was  a 
distinction  which  I  hoped  never  to  see  abol- 
ished.    It  was  not    my  wish  to  go  to  the 
Church  of  Rome,  to  know  in  what  manner 
Sunday  ought  to  be  observed  in  England.   I 
was  therefore  for  resisting  these  dangerous 
innovations  in  the  very  beginning,     If  they 
were  not  crushed  at  their  very  outset,  it  was 
impossible  to  say  ho\v  far  they  might  go.  If 
the  legislature  suffered  them  to  pass  at  first 
without  notice,  their    Lordships  must  not 
imagine  the  mischief  would  stop   where  it 
now  is.     The  places  of  entertainment  lately 
opened  for  the  Sunday  evening,  were  only 
the  beginnings  of  a  regular  plan  to  introduce 
Sunday  diversions  into  this  kingdom;  they 
are  only  trials  and  experiments  to  feel  the 
way,  and  to  see  how  the  Government  will 
bear  such  violations  of  decency;   and  if  the 


BISHOP   PORTEUS. 


proprietors  of  these  places  find  that  they  are 
perfectly  secure,  they  will  very  soon  take  care 
to  have  fresh  amusements  for  every  hour  of 
the  Sunday,  even  for  those  which  ought  to 
be  spent  in  the  celebration  of  divine  worship, 
Unless  therefore  their  Lordships  were  prepa- 
red to  say,  that  public  diversions  ought  to 
be  allowed  in  this  country,  they  must  resist 
this  artful  attempt  to  introduce  them  under 
the  specious  name  of  a  Promenade,  and  the 
sacred  plea  of  religion. 

"  It  has  been  said,  indeed,  that  this  Bill  is 
a  restraint  upon  religious  liberty.  It  is  no 
such  thing.  It  restrains  no  one  from  profes- 
sing that  mode  of  religion,  and  joining  in 
that  form  of  public  worship,  which  his  con- 
science best  approves.  It  restrains  no  one 
from  speaking,  conversing,  or  writing  upon 
religious  subjects.  It  imposes  no  other 
restraint  than  this,  which  is  surely  no  very 
great  hardship,  that  no  one  shall  either  pay 
or  be  paid  for  talking  blasphemy  or  profane  - 
ness  in  a  public  room  on  the  Lord's  Day.  It 
takes  away,  in  short,  no  other  liberty,  but  the 
liberty  of  burlesquing  Scripture,  and  making 
religion  a  public  amusement,  and  a  pub- 
lic trade,  which  I  was  inclined  to  think  their 


•-  T.IFE    OP 

Lordships  would  not  consider  essential 
marks  of  religious  freedom.-7 

A  division  then  took  place  on  the  commit- 
ment of  the  Bill,  which  was  carried  by  a  ma- 
jority of  26;  and  it  afterwards  passed  with- 
out further  opposition. 

In  this  manner  did  the  Bishop,  by  his  own 
energy  and  perseverance,  carry  through  Par- 
liament an  Act,  which  by  its  judicious  pro- 
visions effectually  checked  a  most  wicked 
and  licentious  system,  calculated  to  produce 
the  worst  consequences  to  religion  and  to 
public  morals.  There  were  many  difficul- 
ties in  the  way,  which  would  have  stagger- 
ed, as  in  fact  they  did  stagger,  ordinary 
minds.  But  his  was  not  of  that  stamp.  He 
saw  them  all,  and  surmounted  them.  He 
stood  alone  against  a  crying  evil,  and  suc- 
ceeded. It  was  the  opinion  indeed  of  Lord 
Mansfield  at  the  time,  that  the  Bill,  though 
in  itself  a  good  one,  would  soon  be  evaded. 
But,  contrary  to  the  sentiments  of  that  great 
lawyer,  the  very  reverse  has  been  the  case. 
It  has  completely  answered  its  object;  and 
from  the  period  of  its  passing  into  a  law,  no 
attempts  have  been  made,  in  the  same  way 


BISHOP   PORTEUS.  65 

at  least,  to  profane  and  desecrate  the  Chris- 
tian Sabbath. 

Towards  the  close  of  1781,  the  great  ques- 
tion between  the  then  Bishop  of  London, 
Dr.  Lowth,  and  Mr.  Disney  Fytche,  a  gen- 
tleman of  Essex,  with  respect  to  the  validity 
of  a  general  bond  of  resignation,  that  is,  a 
bond  to  resign,  whenever  called  upon  by  the 
patron,  came  to  a  hearing  in  the  Court  of 
Chancery ;  when  it  was  determined  by  Lord 
Loughborough,  that  such  bonds  were  good 
in  law. — Notwithstanding  however  this  de- 
cision, it  was  deemed  expedient  in  a  matter 
of  such  consequence  to  carry  the  cause  be- 
fore the  House  of  Lords;  and  k  must  ever 
redound  to  the  Bishop  of  Chester's  honour, 
that  such  a  man  as  Bishop  Lowth,  who  in 
the  fullest  meaning  of  his  own  words,  as  ap- 
plied to  Archbishop  Seeker,  was  "  vir  sum- 
mus  summo  in  loco,"  but  who  was  then  un- 
able from  illness  to  attend  in  Parliament, 
should  particularly  have  selected  and  re- 
quested him  to  undertake  the  management 
of  it.  I  mention  the  circumstances,  merely 
with  the  view  of  marking  the  high  sense, 
which  that  distinguished  prelate  entertained 
of  his  character  and  talents.  With  respect 
F  2 


LIFE   OF 


to  the  contest  itself,  the  issue  is  well  known. 
The  judgments  of  the  courts  below  were 
reversed;  general  bonds  of  resignation,  when 
given,  as  in  the  present  case,  to  procure  a 
presentation,  were  declared  to  be  illegal,  and 
tht  presentation  procured  by  them  to  be  cor- 
rupt, simoniacal  and  void. 

On  February  llth,  1783,  the  Bishop 
preached  before  "  the  Society  for  the  Propa- 
gation of  the  Gospel  ;"  and  he  chose  as  his 
subject,  the  Civilization  and  Conversion  of 
the  Negroes  in  the  British  West-India  Is- 
lands. It  appears  that  for  some  time  before 
this,  he  had  turned  his  mind  very  much  to 
the  condition  of  that  oppressed  and  suffering 
people,  and  had  corresponded  and  conver- 
sed on  the  subject  with  several  persons  pos- 
sessing property  in  the  Islands,  and  others  in 
this  country.  The  result  of  his  inquiry  was, 
that  the  state  of  the  Negroes  was  a  most  de- 
plorable one,  as  well  in  a  temporal  as  a  spi- 
ritual point  of  view:  and  he  therefore  thought 
himself  called  upon  by  every  principle  of 
justice  and  of  policy  to  excite  if  possible 
the  attention  of  the  public  to  this  great  ques- 
tion. This  he  did,  in  the  first  instance,  by 
recommending  it  strongly  to  the  Society,  in 


BISHOP    POUTEV3. 

the  discourse  which  he  addressed  to  them, 
to  begin  on  their  own   trust-estate  in  Barba- 
does  a  regular  system  of  religious  instruc- 
tioii,  as  an  example  to  the  planters,  and  to  ap- 
propriate a  portion  of  their  funds  to  so  desi- 
rable a   purpose.     The  suggestion  at    the 
time  met  with  general  approbation;   and  he 
was  therefore  induced  early  in  the   following 
year  to  lay  before  the  Society  a  plan*   which 
he  had  drawn  up,  and  in  which  he  had  the 
concurrence  of   several   of  the    Bench  and 
other  intelligent  friends,  for  carrying  it  into 
execution.     It  however  very  soon    appear- 
ed that  nothing  would  be  done  ;  for  a  Com- 
mittee, to  whom  after  much  opposition,  the 
question  was  referred,  gave  it  as  their  opin- 
ion, in  a  short  sitting  of  four  hours,  that  his 
Lordship  merited  the  thanks  of  the  Society 
for  the  great  pains  and  trouble  he  had  taken, 
but  that   the  circumstances  of  the  Society 

'  This  plan  is  now  incorporated  in  "  an  Essay," 
which  he  afterwards  printed  and  published,  "  towards 
the  more  effectual  Civilization  and  Conversion  of  the 
Negro  Slaves  on  the  Trust  Estate  in  Barbadoes,  belong- 
ing to  the  Society  for  the  propagation  of  the  Gospel  in 
Foreign  Parts."  The  reader  will  find  it  in  his  Volume 
of  Tracts. 


08 


LIFE   OP 


rendered  it  at  that  time  unadvisable  to  adopt 
the  plan. 

.  "  Thus,"  says  the  Bishop,  "  was  a  final 
period  put  at  once  to  a  most  interesting  and 
important  subject,  and  the  spiritual  condition 
of  near  half  a  million  of  Negro  Slaves  de- 
cided in  four  hours.  That  the  particular 
plan  offered  to  the  Society  might  stand  in 
need  of  improvement,  and  that  a  better 
might  have  been  substituted  in  its  room,  is 
very  probable.  I  would  have  given  my 
hearty  vote  for  any  wiser  plan  in  preference 
to  my  own.  It  was  not  the  mode,  it  was 
the  measure  I  had  at  heart.  But  that  the 
discussion  of  this  subject  should  have  been 
entirely  finished  at  one  meeting,  which  every 
one  expected  would  have  taken  up  two  or 
three;  that  no  other  plan  should  be  adopt- 
ed or  proposed,  nor  any  one  effectual  mea- 
sure taken  for  the  conversion  and  salvation  of 
near  300  Slaves,  who  were  the  immediate 
property  of  a  religious  Society,  did,  I  own, 
a  little  surprise  me.  The  Society  had  un- 
doubtedly an  opportunity  of  rendering  their 
name  illustrious  in  every  part  of  the  world, 
by  beginning  on  their  own  plantation  the 
civilization  and  conversion  of  the  Negroes, 


BISHOP   PORTEUS.  GO* 

and  thereby  at  once  shewing  the  possibility 
of  it,  and  the  method  of  doing  it,  and  set- 
ting an  example,  which  might  excite  the  at- 
tention, and  by  degrees  the  imitation  of  all 
the  West-India  proprietors.  If  this  example 
be  not  set :  if  this  attempt  be  not  made  by  a 
Society,  whose  professed  purpose  is  to  '  pro- 
pagate the  Gospel  in  Foreign  Parts'  among 
Infidels  and  Heathens;  by  whom  is  there  the 
least  probability  that  it  can  or  will  be  under- 
taken ?  It  is  not  small  difficulties,  it  is 
not  great  difficulties,  that  should  have  deter- 
red us  from  an  undertaking,  in  which  our 
credit,  our  reputation,  our  interest  and  the 
interests  of  religion,  are  so  essentially  con- 
cerned. Nothing  less  than  an  absolute  de- 
monstrable impossibility  should  have  dis- 
couraged us  from  the  attempt.  This  was 
the  opinion  of  Bishop  Gibson  half  a  century 
ago,  as  expressed  in  the  admirable  Letters, 
which  he  wrote  upon  this  subject;  and  it  is, 
I  will  venture  to  say,  the  opinion  of  every 
unprejudiced  man  in  this  kingdom,  who  has 
considered  the  subject  with  sufficient  atten- 
tion and  sufficient  sensibility." 

From  this    passage,  it  appears  evidently 
that  the  Bishop  was  both  disappointed  and 


70  LIFE  OF 

hurt  by  such  a  hasty  rejection,  on  the  part 
of  the  Society,  of  a  plan  on  which  he  had 
bestowed  considerable  care  and  thought,  and 
which  it  was  admitted  came  within  the  letter 
and  spirit  of  thtir  charter.  But  though  he 
failed  in  this  endeavour,  he  was  not  discour- 
aged, as  the  following  pages  will  shew,  from 
pursuing  steadily  his  favourite  object,  the 
civilization  and  conversion  of  the  Negro 
Slaves  in  our  West- India  colonies. 

In  the  mean  time,  his  attention  to  the  du- 
ties of  his  diocese  was  constant  and  unweari- 
ed. Amongst  other  things,  he  took  infinite 
pains  to  establish  an  annual  subscription  for 
the  relief  of  his  poorer  clergy.  Such  an 
institution,  more  particularly  in  the  Arch- 
deaconry of  Richmond,  was  greatly  wanted ; 
and  by  urging  the  subject  in  the  course  of 
conversation,  and  circulating  besides  a  print- 
ed letter,  in  which  he  very  strongly  pressed 
the  necessity  of  the  measure,  he  at  last  suc- 
ceeded. 

His  efforts  were  also  directed  with  the 
same  active  zeal  to  the  establishment  of  Sun- 
day Schools.  Of  this  admirable  plan  first 
suggested  by  Mr.  Robert  Raikes,  of  Glou- 
cester, for  diffusing  amongst  the  poor  the 


BISHOP   PORTEUS.  71 

principles  of  religious  knowledge,  at  an  age 
when  they    are   most  capable  of  receiving 
them,  and  in  a  manner  which  in  no  respect 
interferes  with  their  ordinary  occupations,  he 
had  early  conceived  a  very  favourable  opin- 
ion, and    in  several    instances  privately  en- 
couraged it.     But,  as   an  act  of  prudence, 
he  determined  not  to  give  it  the  sanction,  of 
his  public  approbation,  till,  as  he  observes, 
"'  time  and  experience,  and   more  accurate 
inquiry,  had  enabled  him  to  form  a  more  de- 
cided judgment  of  its    real  value,  and  its 
probable  effects."     When,  however,  repea- 
ted information  from  various  quarters,  and 
particularly  from  some  of  the  largest  manu- 
facturing towns  in  his  diocese,  had  convinced 
him  that  such  institutions,  wherever  the   ex- 
periment had  been  fairly  tried,  had  produced 
and  could  not  fail  to  produce  if  discreetly  re- 
gulated, essential  benefit,  he  no  longer  he- 
sitated in  promoting  them  generally  through- 
out his  diocese.     With  this  view,  as  the  wi- 
sest and  most  effectual  mode  of  giving  pub- 
licity to  his  sentiments,  he  addressed  to  his 
clergy  a  very  excellent  letter,  containing,  in 
a  short  compass,  a  plain,  temperate,  and  ju- 
dicious exposition  of  the  advantages  of  Suiir 


72  I-IFE  o* 

day  Schools,  and  of  the  rules  by  which  they 
should  be  conducted. 

The  time  had  now  arrived,  when  the  Bish- 
op of  Chester  was  destined  to  fill  a  still  more 
distinguished  situation  in  the  English  church. 
The  high  character  he  had  long  maintained ; 
his  zeal,  his  activity,  his  judgment,  his 
powers  of  usefulness  in  every  branch  of  his 
profession,  and  all  these  illustrated  and  ador- 
ned by  a  most  unblemished  life,  and  the 
most  conciliating  and  attracting  manners; 
naturally  marked  him  out,  as  the  person  best 
qualified  to  supply  the  vacancy  which  had 
for  some  time  been  expected  in  the  See  of 
London.  Accordingly,  the  very  next  day 
after  the  death  of  Dr.  Lowth,  which  took 
place  at  the  Palace  at  Fulham,  November  the 
3d,  1787,  the  Bishop,  who  was  then  at  Hun- 
ton,  received  by  a  king's  messenger  the  fol- 
io wing  letter  from  Mr.  Pitt: 

"  My  Lord, 

"  IN  consequence  of  the  death  of  the 
Bishop  of  London,  which  took  place  yes- 
terday, I  lost  natime  in  making  it  my  hum- 
ble recommendation  to  His  Majesty,  that 
your  Lordship  might  be  appointed  to  sue- 


BISHOP    PORT i  I  -  \o 

ceed  him.  I  have  this  moment  received  His 
Majesty's  answer,  expressing  His  entire  ap- 
probation of  the  proposal,  and  authorizing 
me  to  acquaint  your  Lordship  with  His  gra- 
cious intentions I  have  peculiar  satis- 
faction in  executing  this  commission,  and 
in  the  opportunity  of  expressing  the  senti- 
ments of  high  respect  and  esteem  with 
which  I  have  the  honour  to  be, 

"  My  Lord, 
"  Your  Lordship's  most  obedient 

•"  and  most  humble  servant, 

"  W.  PITT." 


This  important  communication,  made  in 
such  flattering  and  gracious  terms,  was  most 
gratifying  to  the  Bishop's  feelings  :  but  yet 
the  high  station  to  which  he  was  raised,  did 
not  for  a  moment  carry  his  thoughts  from  the 
great  and  only  Disposer  of  all  earthly  good. 
Much  as  he  felt  the  honour  conferred  upon 
him  by  his  Sovereign,  he  looked  beyond 
this  world,  up  to  Him,  who  is  the  King  of 
kings;  for,  subjoined  to  a  copy  of  the  pre- 
ceding letter,  are  written  in  his  own  hand  the 
following  words:  . .  . .  "  I  acknowledge  the 


:LIF;E  OF 


goodness  of  a  kind  Providence,  and  am  ful- 
ly sensible  that  nothing  but  this  could  have 
placed  me  in  a  situation  so  infinitely  transcen- 
ding my  expectations  and  deserts." 

This  appointment,  like  all  that  he  had  be- 
fore filled,  was  on  his  own  part  perfectly  un- 
sought for  and  unsolicited.  So  far  indeed 
from  being  desirous  of  a  change  of  station, 
he  had  on  the  contrary  many  substantial  rea- 
sons for  wishing  to  retain  the  Bishopric  of 
Chester.  During  his  residence  in  that  city, 
the  attention  he  had  uniformly  shewed  to  all 
ranks  of  people;  the  ease  and  affability  of 
his  whole  deportment;  his  kindness  to  all 
who  needed  his  assistance  ;  the  warm  inter- 
est he  took  in  the  affairs  of  his  clergy  ;  his 
endeavours  to  promote  in  every  way  the 
cause  of  religion,  and  the  good  of  those  com- 
mitted to  his  charge  ;  all  this  had  placed  him 
high  in  public  estimation,  and  rendered  him 
in  every  part  of  his  diocese  respected  and 
beloved.  It  was  not  therefore  without  much 
regret,  and  a  hard  struggle  with  his  own  feel- 
ings, that  he  quitted  a  situation  to  which  he 
was  most  sincerely  attached,  to  enter  upon 
another,  where  the  duties  were  more  burthen- 
some,  and  the  responsibility  greatly  increa- 
sed. 


BISHOP   TORTEVS.  75 

In  addition  to  this,  he  was  under  the  ne- 
cessity, by  accepting  the  See  of  London,  of 
giving  up  his  living  at  Hunton;  that  calm, 
delightful  retreat,  where  he  had  spent  so  ma- 
ny years  of  happiness,  and  which,  I  am  per- 
suaded, no  accession  of  dignity,  no  increase 
of  revenue,  would  have  ever  induced  him  to 
resign,  had  it  not  been  for  the  high  and  hon- 
ourable principle,  which  in  all  circumstan- 
ces governed  him  through  life — the  relin- 
quishment  of  private  enjoyment  for  the  sake 
of  public  usefulness.  To  those  who  knew 
him  well,  as  it  was  my  privilege  to  do,  it  is 
superfluous  to  say,  that  he  quitted  this  fa- 
vourite residence  with  infinite  regret*  His 
own  words  will  best  express  what  he  felt  up- 
on the  occasion. 

"  When  I  took  my  leave  of  Hunton  early 
in  the  morning,  and  cast  a  parting  look  on 
the  rich  vale  below,  (the  sun  shining  glo- 
riously upon  it,  and  lighting  up  all  the  beau- 
ties of  that  enchanting  scene)  my  heart  sunk 
within  me ;  and  as  I  went  slowly  up  the  hill, 
I  could  not  forbear  repeating  and  applying 
to  myself  those  exquisite  lines  of  the  Min- 
strel : 


76  LIFE   Of 

O  !  how  canst  thou  renounce  the  boundless  stofe 

Of  cliarms,  which  Mature  to  her  vot'ries  yields ; 

The  warbling  woodland,  the  resounding  shore, 

The  pomp  of  groves,  and  garniture  of  fields ; 

All  that  the  genial  ray  of  Morning  gilds, 

And  all  that  echoes  to  the  song  of  Even  ; 

All  that  the  mountain's  sheltering  bosom  shields, 

And  all  the  dread  magnificence  of  Heaven ; 

O  !  how  canst  thou  renounce,  and  hope  to  be  forgiv'n  I 

"  It  was  indeed  a  long  time  before  I  could 
forgive  myself.  But  various  circumstan- 
ces rendered  this  sacrifice  necessary;  and 
by  degrees  custom  reconciled  me  to  a  scene 
very  different  from  that  to  which  I  had  been 
so  long  accustomed,  and  which  it  cost  me 
no  small  pain  to  renounce." 

AFTER  kissing  the  King's  hand  for  his 
new  See,  on  the  8th  of  November  1787,  and 
being  confirmed  at  Bow  Church  on  the  7th 
of  December  following,  one  of  the  iirst  ob- 
jects, which  engaged  the  Bishop's  mind  was 
the  advancement  of  a  Society,  which  had 
been  set  on  foot  about  a  year  before,  and 
which  bore  the  title  of  "  The  Society  for  en- 
forcing the  King's  proclamation  against  Im- 
morality and  Profaneness."  The  necessity 
of  taking  some  active  measures  for  endea- 


OP    PORTEt'S.  M 

.ing  10  check,  if  possible,  the  increas- 
ing profligacy  of  the  times  had  been  long  ap- 
parent; and  it  was  thought,  that  it  would 
be  one  very  likely  mode  of  furthering  that 
important  purpose,  if  persons  of  distinguish- 
ed name  and  character  would  combine  to- 
gether to  enforce  the  execution  of  the  laws, 
and  to  support  the  magistrates  in  the  con- 
viction of  offenders.  This  by  great  perse- 
verance was  at  last  effected;  and  the  Bishop, 
who  had  been  from  the  first  a  zealous  pro- 
moter of  the  Association,  and  afterwards 
was  elected  President  of  it,  had  the  satisfac^ 
tion  of  seeing  it  productive  of  the  best  re- 
sults. Many  useful  Acts  of  Parliament  were 
obtained  by  its  influence :  many  persons 
were  prosecuted  and  punished  for  dissemi- 
nating licentious  books ;  and  amongst  other 
acts  of  beneficial  interference,  a  check  was  in 
some  measure  given  to  that  most  pernicious 
custom  of  exhibiting  publicly  indecent 
prints.  Most  earnestly  is  it  to  be  wished, 
that  it  could  be  repressed  altogether ;  and  if 
this  cannot  be  done  by  any  statute  at  present 
in  force,  it  is  surely  incumbent  upon  the 
wisdom  of  the  Legislature  to  take  the  sub- 
ject into  consideration,  and  to  enact  some  po~ 


78  LijfE   OF 


sitive  law,  which,  by  the  infliction  of  a  hea- 
vy penalty,  may  ultimately,  tend  to  the  anni- 
hilation of  a  system,  than  which  there  can 
be  none  more  injurious  to  good  morals  nor 
any  more  prejudicial  to  the  best  interests  of  a 
State. 

On  the  10th  of  July  1788,  Sir  William 
Dolben's  Slave-  carry  ing  Bill  passed  the 
Lords  ;  an  event,  which  afforded  the  Bishop 
the  utmost  satisfaction.  During  its  pro- 
gress, so  great  was  his  anxiety  for  its  suc- 
cess, that  he  attended  the  House  daily  from 
Fulham  for  a  month  together  ;  but  had  the 
Fatigue  of  that  attendance  been  even  greater 
than  it  was,  he  would  most  cheerfully  have 
submitted  to  it  with  such  an  object  in  view. 
The  measure  indeed  fell  far  short  of  the 
whole  extent  of  his  wishes  :  but,  as  under 
the  existing  circumstances,  more  could 
hardly  be  expected,  he  considered  it,  as  in 
fact  it  was,  a  most  important  measure  ; 
since  it  lessened,  at  least  in  some  degree,  the 
horrors  of  the  passage,  and  prevented  the 
merchants  from  crowding  into  their  ships 
too  large  a  number  of  slaves,  under  the  a* 
larm  of  an  approaching  abolition  of  the  trade 
itself.  About  the  same  time,  on  a  motion 


BISHOP   FORTEUS. 


by  Lord  Bathurst  for  an  address  to  his  Ma- 
jesty to  instruct  the  Governors  of  the  Is- 
lands to  secure  by  some  legislative  measure, 
a  better  treatment  of  the  slaves,  and  provide 
for  their  religious  instruction,  he  expressed 
in  the  strongest  terms  his  entire  approba- 
tion of  the  noble  EarPs  proposition;  and 
availed  himself  of  that  opportunity  to  assure 
the  House,  that  in  the  hope  of  promoting 
particularly  the  last  of  these  purposes,  he 
had  addressed  to  the  Clergy  of  the  differ- 
ent Islands  a  circular  letter,  earnestly  exhor- 
ting them  to  take  the  condition  of  the  Ne- 
groes in  their  respective  parishes  into  their 
consideration,  and  to  instruct  them  in  the 
principles  of  the  Christian  Faith. 

On  the  23d  of  April  in  the  following  year 
1789,  in  obedience  to  the  King's  express 
command,  he  preached  at  St.  Paul's  on  the 
day  of  public  thanksgiving  for  His  Majesty's 
recovery.  The  subject,  which  he  chose, 
was,  "  Trust  in  God,"  and  he  enforced  it 
with  all  that  warmth  and  spirit  and  energy, 
which  the  peculiar  circumstances  of  the  case, 
and  a  scene  so  uncommonly  grand  and  strik- 
ing, could  hardly  fail  to  inspire.  That  part 
of  his  discourse,  which  bears  more  imme- 


ci- 


diately  upon  the  occasion,  is  touched  with 
great  delicacy  and  judgment.  There  is 
no  elaborate  eulogy,  no  overcharged  des- 
cription ;  but  he  stated  simply  and  strongly, 
what  he  knew  upon  indubitable  authority  to 
be  true,  that  "  the  heart  of  his  Sovereign  was 
deeply  impressed  with  the  conviction,  that 
in  God  was  his  help ;  and  that  throughout 
the  whole  of  his  severe  trial,  his  trust  in  God 
had  never  forsaken  him."  Of  the  reality 
of  this  declaration,  I  believe,  out  of  all  that 
vast  assembly,  there  was  not  an  individual 
present  who  entertained  the  slightest  doubt. 
It  came  home  to  every  one's  feelings,  and 
called  up  one  united  thanksgiving  to  the 
Great  Disposer  of  events,  for  having  preserv- 
ed and  restored  to  them  a  Monarch  not  more 
illustrious  for  his  high  station,  than  revered 
and  beloved  for  his  many  private  virtues. 

More  than  two  years  had  passed  from  the 
time  of  his  taking  possession  of  the  See 
of  London,  before  the  Bishop  held  his  pri-. 
mary  visitation ;  but  the  cause  of  the  delay 
arose,  as  he  himself  observes,  "  from  a  wish 
to  collect  all  the  information  he  could  from 
various  quarters,  and  more  particularly  from* 
the  answers  to  the  several  queries  which  had 


BISHOP   PORTEUS.  8fc 

been  some  months  before  circulated  through 
the  diocese." 

With  these  materials  before  him,  he  was 
enabled  to  select  such  topics  for  his  Charge, 
as  appeared  the  most  important ;  and  accord- 
ingly he  insisted  principally  on  the  necessity 
of  more  constant  residence*,  an  increase  of 

*  The  residence  of  the  beneliced  Clergy  on  their  cures 
was  one  of  the  objects,  connected  with  the  discipline  and 
good  order  of  the  Church,  which  the  Bishop  was  unceas- 
ing; in  his  endeavours  to  promote  ;  and  the  following  ex- 
tract from  a  mo-t  useful  and  able  Charge  delivered  by 
Mr.  Archdeacon  Cambridge  in  1808,  to  the  Clergy  of  the 
Archdeaconry  of  Middlesex,  is  an  honourable  and  con- 
vincing proof  how  successfully  those  endeavours  were  ex- 
erted.— "  It  will  now,"  he  says,  "  be  expected,  that  I 
should  make  some  report  of  the  state  and  condition  of 
the  Parsonage  Houses,  which  it  was  a  part  of  my  duty  to 
inspect ;  but  it  was  with  real  pleasure  I  found,  that  the 
difficulty  and  trouble,  which  may  readily  be  supposed 
to  attend  the  due  performance  of  this  delicate  branch  of 
our  official  inquiry,  were  considerably  lessened,  and  the 
duty  in  a  great  measure  anticipated  by  the  unwearied 
exertions  of  our  excellent  Prelate,  whose  constant  en- 
deavour it  has  been,  ever  since  he  presided  over  this  im- 
portant diocese,  to  establish  resident  clergy  on  every  pre- 
ferment, whereat  was  possible  to  accomplish  it;  an  en- 
deavour, in  which  he  had  most  meritoriously  and  suc- 
i-«>  fuUy  persevered  for  many  years  previous  to  the  late 
Act  for  enforcing  the  Residence  of  the  Parochial  Clergy, 


LIFE  O* 

salaries  to  curates,  and  the  improvement  of 
our  parochial  psalmody.  In  regard  to  the 
last  of  these  subjects,  he  states  the  following 
reasons  for  pressing  it  on  the  attention  of  his 
clergy. 

"  Of  all  the  Services  of  our  Church  none 
appeared  to  me  to  have  sunk  to  so  low  an 
ebb,  or  so  evidently  to  need  reform,  as  our 
parochial  psalmody ;  more  especially,  as  Dr. 
Burney  in  his  History  of  Music,  had  very 
injudiciously  taken  great  pains  to  ridicule 
and  discredit  the  vise  of  psalmody  in  our 
churches,  and  to  introduce  in  the  room  of  it 
cathedral  music.  In  consequence  of  this, 
many  churches  and  chapels  in  London  had 
already  adopted  his  ideas  ;  and  at  their  cha- 
rity sermons,  professional  singers,  both  male 

Of  this,  his  first  concern,  the  repair  and  improvement  of 
the  parsonage  house,  in  which  the  incumbent  was  re- 
quired to  reside,  formed  an  essential  and  often  a  prelimi- 
nary part.  And  it  is  now  with  infinite  satisfaction  I  can 
state,  that  with  the  exception  of  a  very  few  cases,  where 
accidental  circumstances  have  occasioned  delays  in  the 
accomplishment  of  the  wishes  and  directions  of  the  Bish- 
op, on  almost  every  living,  the  income  of  which  is  suffi- 
cient to  supply  the  means  of  maintaining  a  decent  resi- 
dence for  the  incumbent,  this  important  object  is  already 
attained. 


BISHOP    PORTKCb.  bo 

and  female,  were  brought  from  various  pla- 
ces of  public  entertainment,  to  sing  hymns 
and  anthems  for  the  benefit  of  the  children. 
Nay,  in  one  or  two  churches,  there  had  been 
musical  entertainments  upon  Sunday  even- 
ings, without  even  prayers  or  a  sermon.  I 
therefore  thought  it  highly  necessary,  in  or- 
der to  prevent  our  places  of  public  worship 
from  being  converted  into  concert  rooms,  to 
endeavour  to  check  this  musical  madness, 
and  if  possible  to  bring  back  our  psalmody 
to  its  antient  purity  and  simplicity." 

For  his  opinions  and  advice,  both  which 
are  extremely  judicious,  upon  this  subject,  I 
must  refer  the  reader  to  the   Charge  itself, 
which  will  be  found  in  his  Works.     It  is  a 
composition  throughout    of  great  elegance 
and  ability ;  and  there  is  one  circumstance  in 
it,  which  I  cannot  suffer  to  pass  without  no- 
tice, namely,   the  high    testimony  which  it 
bears  to  the  talents  and  virtues  of  his  vene- 
rable predecessor,  Bishop  Lowth.     The  See 
of  London  had  never  been  filled  by  a  more 
distinguished  prelate ;  and  his  successor  felt, 
that  it  would  have  been  an  act  of  injustice  to 
so  great  a  man,  if  he  had  not  offered  some 
part  at  least  of  that  tribute,  which  was  just- 


34  LIFE    OF 

ly  due  to  his  memory,  and  publicly!  expres- 
sed his  deep  regret  for  the  loss  sustained  by 
the  church,  and  by  the  world  at  large.  The 
character  he  has  given  of  him,  is  forcibly  and 
ably  drawn,  and,  although  the  necessity  of 
enlarging  upon  other  important  matter,  pre- 
vented him  from  saying  much  upon  the  sub- 
ject, he  would  yet  but  ill  have  satisfied  his 
own  feelings,  or  the  expectations  of  his  cler- 
gy, if,  with  such  an  opportunity  before  him, 
he  had  said  less. 

Not  many  months  after  his  return  from 
the  visitation  of  his  diocese,  a  decree  given 
in  his  favour  by  the  Court  of  Chancery,  ena- 
bled him  to  prosecute  a  plan,  which  he  had 
long  had  much  at  heart,  for  improving  the 
condition  of  the  Negro  Slaves  employed  in 
the  cultivation  of  the  West-India  islands, 
and  particularly  for  their  better  instruction 
in  religious  knowledge.  As  he  has  left  in 
manuscript  the  following  statement  of  the 
causes  and  consequences  of  that  decree,  it  is 
here  inserted. 

"In  3691,  the  great  Mr.  Boyle  left  a  sum 
of  money,  amounting  to  5,400/.  for  the  ad- 
vancement of  the  Christian  Religion  amongst 
infidels.  With  this  sum,  an  estate  was  af> 


BISHOP   PORTEUS,  «6 

icrvvards  purchased  at  Brafferton,  near  Bo- 
roughbridge  in  Yorkshire.     The   Earl  of 
Burlington,  and  the  Bishop  of  London  for 
the  time  being,  were  constituted  trustees  of 
the  charity;  and  in   1693,  they  directed  that 
the  profits  of  the  estate  should  be  paid  to 
the  President  of  William  and  Mary  College, 
in  Virginia,  to  be  by  them  applied  to  the 
education  and  instruction  of  a  certain  num- 
ber of  Indian  children.     This  appointment 
was  confirmed  by  a  decree  of  the  Court  of 
Chancery  in  169S.     The  charity  continued 
to  be  so  applied  till  the  breaking  out  of  the 
American  war,  soon  after  which  the  then 
Bishop  of  London  forbad  the  Agent  of  the 
College  to  remit  any  more  money  to  Vir- 
ginia.    After  the  peace,  the  College  claimed 
the  rents  of  the  estate,   and  all  the  arrears 
that  had  accumulated,  which,  with  the  sale 
of  some  timber,  amounted  to  a  very  large 
sum.     This  was  resisted  by  Bishop  Lowth; 
and  on  my  succeeding  to  the  See  of  London, 
a  regular  suit  in  Chancery  was  commenced 
between  me  and  the  College  in  Virginia. 
The  question  was,  whether  they,  being  now 
separated  from  this  kingdom,  and  become  a 
foreign,  independent  state,  were  entitled  to 

H 


fctf  LIFE   OF 

the  benefit  of  this  charity.     It  was  the  first 
question  of  the  kind,  that  had  occurred  in 
this  country  since  the  American  Revolution, 
and  was  therefore  in  the  highest  degree  cu- 
rious and  important.     The  Chancellor,  Lord 
Thurlow,  decided  against  the  College.     He 
excluded  them  from  all  share  in  the  charity, 
and  directed  that  the  Trustees  should  offer 
a  plan  for  the  appropriation  of  the   charity 
to  some  other  purpose.     In  consequence  of 
this  decree,  I  gave  in  to  the  Master  in  Chan- 
cery, Mr.  Orde,  my  plan  for  the  application 
of  Mr.  Boyle's  charity,  and  proposed  for  its 
object,  'the  conversion  and  religious  instruc- 
tion of  the  Negroes  in  the  British  West- 
India  Islands?     This  has  been  subsequently 
approved  by  the  Lord  Chancellor,  and  there 
will  now  be  a  revenue  of  near  1000/.  per 
annum,  applied  to  that  purpose." 

To  this,  his  own  account  of  the  origin 
and  establishment  of  that  Society,  I  am. 
enabled  to  add  from  my  own  personal  obser- 
vation and  knowledge,  that  he  not  only  in 
his  capacity  of  President  took  a  leading  part 
in  all  its  transactions,  but  that  he  was  inde- 
fatigable in  his  efforts  to  promote  the  objects 
of  it.  With  the  view  of  rendering  the 


BISHOP    POBTEUS.  87    v 

Scriptures  more  generally  useful  to  the  Ne- 
groes, he  undertook  to  make  a  selection  of 
such  parts,  both  of  the  Old  and  New  Testa- 
ment, as  appeared  to  him  best  adapted  to 
their  understandings  and  condition.  He 
spared  no  pains  in  procuring  able  and  con- 
scientious ministers  to  fill  the  office  of  mis- 
sionaries.  He  corresponded  frequently  with 
them  on  the  state  of  their  mission.  He  en- 
deavoured by  all  the  means  in  his  power  to 
conciliate  the  good-will  of  the  planters,  to 
remove  the  apprehensions  they  expressed, 
and  to  convince  them  of  the  policy  as  well 
as  humanity  of  educating  and  instructing 
their  slaves.  In  short,  he  did  all  that  the 
most  active  and  unwearied  zeal  could  do,  to 
advance  in  every  possible  way  the  great  pur- 
poses of  the  institution.  If,  after  all,  its  suc- 
cess fell  short  of  his  hopes,  as  I  have  heard 
him  often  lament  that  it  did,  the  failure  is  to 
be  ascribed,  not  to  want  of  effort  in  him, 
but  to  difficulties,  which,  though  in  some 
instances  overcome,  he  found  in  others  insu- 
perable. The  chief  of  these  always  has  been, 
and  still  continues  to  be,  an  invincible  re- 
luctance on  the  part  of  the  proprietors  and 
planters  of  estates  in  our  West- India  colo- 


LIFE   01? 


nies,  effectually  to  promote  any  plan,  how 
ever  quietly  and  prudently  conducted,  for  the 
Christian  education  of  their  Negro  slaves. 
To  this  general  assertion  indeed,  there  are 
I  know,  some  honourable  exceptions  ;  but, 
on  the  whole,  there  does  appear  to  be  an  in- 
creasing disposition,  as  far  as  my  information 
and  experience  enable  me  to  judge,  to  dis- 
countenance and  impede  all  attempts  to  in- 
struct that  unfortunate  part  of  our  fellow  be- 
ings in  the  principles  and  practice  of  religion. 
I  trust,  however,  that  no  obstructions,  which 
the  Society  may  experience,  will  induce 
them  to  relax  their  endeavours.  Perseve- 
rance may  gradually  surmount  all  difficulties* 
It  must,  by  God's  blessing,  ultimately  tri- 
iimph  ;  for  it  stands  as  the  recorded  word  of 
that  great  Being,  who  has  said,  "  Have  I 
spoken,  and  shall  I  not  do  it?"  that"  the 
earth  shall  be  full  of  the  knowledge  of  the 
Lord,  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea." 

During  the  interval  wrhich  elapsed  between 
the  Bishop's  first  and  second  visitation  of 
his  diocese,  the  French  Revolution  burst 
forth;  overturning  from  its  very  foundation 
one  of  the  most  powerful  governments  in 


FOJXTF.US. 


.. 

Europe ;  substituting  a  republic  in  the  room 
of  an  jntient  monarchy,  and  ovenvhelming 
all  law  and  order  in  one  wild,  sanguinary 
scene  of  anarchy  and  confusion.  In  a  con- 
vulsion such  as  this,  which  threw  down 
every  barrier,  that  the  wisdom  of  ages  had 
raised  for  the  consolidation  of  a  great  empire, 
it  was  not  to  be  expected  that  Religion  would 
pass  unmolested :  and  in  fact  it  very  soon 
appeared,  that  the  revolutionists  of  France 
aimed  at  nothing  less  than  the  utter  subver 
sion  of  all  moral  principle,  and  the  complete 
abandonment  of  public  worship.  Their  ob- 
ject was  to  degrade  and  vilify  the  truths  of 
Revelation,  and  to  propagate  in  its  place  a 
blasphemous  and  infidel  philosophy.  The 
attempt  succeeded  but  too  effectually  in  their 
own  country  ;  and  the  contagion  soon  spread 
,to  this.  No  efforts  were  spared,  which  could 
tend  to  contaminate  the  public  mind,  and  ob- 
literate from  it  all  reverence  for  our  civil  and 
religious  establishments;  and  had  it  not  been 
for  the  vigorous  measures  of  that  great  Min- 
ister, who  was  then  at  the  head  of  the  admin- 
istration, and  to  whom,  under  Providence, 
we  owe  our  preservation,  we  might  have 
witnessed  here  the  same  frightful  scenes, 
H  2 


LIFE   OP 


which  convulsed  and  desolated  a  neighbour- 
ing kingdom. 

At  a  crisis  such  as  this,  in  which  all  that 
is  dear  to  us  hung  suspended  on  the  issue, 
it  was  plainly  every  man's  bounden  duty  to 
exert  himself  to  the  utmost  for  the  public 
welfare :  and,  in  a  situation  so  responsible  as 
the  See  of  London,  comprehending  a  vast 
metropolis,  where  the  emissaries  of  infide- 
lity were  most  actively  occupied  in  their 
work  of  mischief,  the  Bishop  felt  himself 
called  upon  to  counteract,  as  far  as  in  him 
lay,  the  licentious  principles  which  were  then 
afloat,  and  to  check,  if  possible,  the  progress 
they  had  too  evidently  made  in  the  various 
ranks  of  society.  The  best  mode,  as  he 
conceived,  of  doing  this,  was  to  rouse  the 
attention  of  the  clergy  to  what  was  passing 
around  them  ;  and  nothing  surely  was  ever 
better  calculated  to  produce  that  effect,  than 
the  charge  which  he  addressed  to  them  in 
1794.  I  know  not  where,  in  a  short  com- 
pass, the  character  of  the  French  philosophy 
is  more  ably  drawn,  or  its  baneful  influence 
more  strikingly  developed.  He  had  mark- 
ed its  course  with  an  observing  eye.  He 
had  read  all  that  its  advocates  could  allege  in 


BISHOP   FORTEl/fr,  91 

its  favour.  He  had  traced  the  motives  which 
gave  it  birth,  the  features  by  which  it  was 
marked,  and  the  real  objects  which  it  was  de- 
signed to  accomplish.  It  was  not  therefore 
without  much  deliberation  and  a  full  know- 
ledge of  his  subject,  that  he  drew  up  for  his 
second  visitation  that  eloquent  and  most  im- 
pressive address,  in  which  he  gave  such  a 
picture  of  the  infidel  school  of  that  day, 
and  of  the  industry  which  was  then  employ- 
ed to  disseminate  its  principles  in  this  coun- 
try, as  at  once  carried  conviction  to  the  mind 
and  most  powerfully  awakened  the  attention 
of  every  serious  and  thinking  man.  But  it 
was  on  the  clergy,  in  an  especial  manner, 
that  he  was  anxious  to  leave  a  strong  and  fix- 
ed  persuasion  of  the  necessity  of  increased 
assiduity  and  vigilance  in  the  discharge  of 
their  religious  functions.  Christianity,  at- 
tacked as  it  was  on  every  side,  required  more 
than  common  efforts,  and  more  than  ordina- 
ry zeal  on  the  part  of  its  natural  defenders ; 
and  he  therefore  called  upon  them  "  to  repel 
with  vigour  and  effect  all  those  charges  of 
fraud,  falsehood  and  fanaticism,  which  had 
been  so  liberally  thrown  upon  it ;  at  such  a 
perilous  crisis  to  contend  with  peculiar  ear- 


Lit*   OF 

nestness  for  '  the  faith  once  delivered  to  the 
saints,'  and  to  shew  that  it  is  not,  as  our  en- 
emies affirm,  *  a  cunningly  devised  fable,'  but 
a  real  Revelation  from  Heaven" 

In  particular  he  recommended  it  to  them, 
with  the  view  of  stemming  more  effectually 
the  overwhelming  torrent  of  infidel  opin- 
ions, "  to  draw  out  from  the  whole  body  of 
the  Christian  Evidences  the  principal  and 
most  striking  arguments,  and  to  bring  them 
down  to  the  understandings  of  the  com- 
mon people."  "  If  this,"  he  says,  "  or  any 
thing  of  a  similar  nature,  were  thrown  into 
a  regular  course  of  sermons  or  lectures,  and 
delivered  in  easy,  intelligible,  familiar  lan- 
guage to  your  respective  congregations,  I 
know  nothing  that  would,  in  these  philoso- 
phic times-,  render  a  more  essential  service 
to  religion,  or  tend  more  to  preserve  the  prin- 
ciples of  those  entrusted  to  your  care,  un- 
corrupted  and  unshaken  by  those  most  per- 
nicious and  dangerous  publications,  which, 
I  have  too  much  reason  to  apprehend,  will 
very  soon  be  disseminated  with  dreadful  in- 
dustry and  activity  through  every  quarter  of 
this  Island." 

It  is  almost  superfluous  to  add,  that  the 


BISHOP   PORTEUS.  93 

effect  of  this  admirable  Charge  was  very 
soon  apparent.  It  was  calculated  to  make, 
and  it  did  make,  a  great  impression.  The 
Clergy  gave  full  proof,  that  the  advice  of  their 
Diocesan"  2md  not  been  offered  in  vain ;  and, 
I  am  well  convinced,  that  in  combination 
with  other  causes,  the  zeal  and  energy,  which 
they  displayecfat  that  period,  contributed  in 
no  small  degree  to  the  defeat  of  Infidelity, 
and,  by  necessary  consequence,  to  the  essen- 
tial welfare  of  the  State. 

On  the  3d  of  December  1795,  the  Bish- 
op presented  an  address  to  the  King,  from 
himself,  the  Dean  and  Chapter  of  St.  Paul's 
and  the  Clergy  of  the  cities  of  London  and 
Westminster,  on  the  outrage  offered  to  His 
Majesty  by  a  seditious  mob,  in  his  way  to 
the  House  of  Lords  ;  a  circumstance  in  his 
life,  which  perhaps  I  should  not  have  men- 
tioned, but  that  it  gave  occasion  to  the  asser- 
tion of  aright,  which,  as  it  had  immemori al- 
ly been  observed,  he  thought  it  his  duty 
not  to  relinquish  upon  that  occasion.  The 
following  is  his  own  account  of  the  transac- 
tion: "  When  I  sent  a  copy  of  the  Address 
to  the  Duke  of  Portland,  and  desired  him 


I 

94  LIFE   Of 

to  take  the  King's  pleasure,  when  He  would 
receive  it,  he  in  a  few  days  returned  an 
answer,  that  His  Majesty  would  receive  it, 
not  on  the  throne,  but  at  the  levee.  As  I 
conceived  it  did  not  become  me  to  give 
up  a  privilege  of  the  London  Clergy,  which 
I  knew  to  be  founded  in  antient  custom,  I 
desired  an  interview  with  the  Duke,  and,  on 
shewing  him  the  papers  in  my  possession, 
soon  convinced  him  that  addresses  from  the 
Clergy  of  London  were  always  received  on 
the  throne.  He  promised  to  state  this  the 
next  day  to  ther  King,  which  he  did,  and  his 
Majesty  very  graciously  then  appointed  us 
to  be  received  on  the  throne  as  usual." 

It  has  been  already  mentioned,  that  the 
Bishop  filled  the  situation  of  President  of 
"  the  Society  for  enforcing  the  King's  Pro- 
clamation against  Immorality  and  Profane- 
ness,"  and  that  under  his  active  and  discreet 
direction  the  licentiousness  of  the  Metropo- 
lis had  to  a  certain  degree  been  checked.  It 
was  not  then  probable,  that  when  a  publica- 
tion of  such  an  infamous  description,  and 
calculated  to  produce  such  infinite  mischief, 
as  Paints  Age  of  Reason,  made  its  appear- 
ance, and  was  disseminated  with  inconceiva- 


BISHOP   PORTEUS.  .95 

ble  industry  through  every  town  and  village 
of  the  kingdom,  the  Society  would  suffer 
it  to  pass  unnoticed.  The  book  indeed, 
in  point  of  argument,  and  composition,  was 
perfectly  contemptible :  but,  as  the  Bishop 
has  well  observed,  "  it  was  addressed  to  the 
multitude,  and  most  dexterously  brought 
down  to  the  level  of  their  understandings.  It 
compressed  the  whole  poison  of  infidelity 
into  the  narrow  compass  of  an  essence  or  an 
extract,  and  rendered  irreligion  easy  to  the 
meanest  capacity."  The  progress  therefore 
of  a  work  like  this  was  to  be  checked  instant- 
ly, and  with  a  high  hand.  It  is  true,  an  an- 
tidote, and  with  all  thinking  men  a  most  ef- 
fectual one,  had  been  sent  abroad  into  the 
world,  in  the  admirable  answer  of  Dr.  Wat- 
son, the  present  Bishop  of  Llandaff ;  but 
still  it  was  necessary  to  inflict  some  signal 
punishment  on  the  person,  who,  in  violation 
of  all  decency,  had  dared  to  be  the  publish* 
er  of  The  Age  of  Reason.  The  man  was 
a  bookseller,  of  the  name  of  Williams  ;  and 
against  him,  though  unquestionably  only  an 
instrument  in  the  hands  of  more  experien- 
ced adepts  in  the  school  of  infidelity,  a  pro- 
secutiou  was  set  on  foot  in  the  Court  of 


Ot>  LIFE  Ojv 

King's  Bench.     Upon  the  issue  of  this  trial, 
the  credit  and  influence  of  Religion  were  in 
a  great  measure  at  stake  ;  and  it  was  there- 
fore of  the  very  last    importance,  that  the 
cause  of  the  Society  should  be  well  defended. 
Accordingly  the  Bishops   of    London  and 
Durham  had  an  interview  with  Mr,  Erskine, 
who,  at  their  joint  and  earnest  request,  most 
cheerfully  undertook  the  management  of  the 
prosecution  ;  and  it  is  well  known  how  suc- 
cessfully he  employed   his  splendid  talents 
in   the    execution    of  that    office.      "  His 
speech,"   says  the   Bishop,  "  was  a  noble 
specimen  of  true  eloquence  on  the    noblest 
of  all  subjects,  the  defence  of  Christianity. 
There  were  passages  in  it  as  sublime  as  any 
thing  to  be  met  with  in  the  writings  of  any 
orator  whatever,  antient  or  modern.     There 
is  one   in  particular,  uncommonly  striking 
aud  forcible  from  the  mouth  of  a  layman  and 
a  lawyer.     Mr.  Erskine  declared  in  reply, 
that  •'  bred  as  he  was  to  the  consideration  of 
evidence,  he  considered  the  Prophecy  con- 
cerning the  destruction  of  the  Jewish  temple 
and  nation  to  be,  even  if  there  were  nothing 
else  to  support  Christianity,  absolutely  irre- 


97 

In  addition  to  these  exertions  on  the  part 
of  their  Counsel,  the  Society  received  the 
thanks  of  Lord  Kenyon,  for  their  spirited  and 
manly  conduct.  In  his  charge  to  the  jury, 
than  which  nothing  could  be  more  able  or 
perspicuous,  he  spoke  of  the  prosecution  in 
terms  of  high  approbation  ;  and  at  the  same 
time  availed  himself  of  that  opportunity  to 
make  a  public  avowal,  in  a  most  solemn  lan- 
guage and  manner,  of  his  own  sincere,  deli- 
berate and  entire  conviction  of  the  truth  of 
Christianity. 

Without  a  moment's  hesitation,  the  Jury 
found  the  Defendant  guilty  ;  and  thus  was 
a  stop  effectually  put  to  the  sale  of  a  publica- 
tion, which  concentrated  in  itself  more  im- 
piety, and  was  calculated  to  inflict  a  deeper 
wound  on  religion,  than  any  that  had  ever  ap- 
peared in  this  or  any  other  country. 

In  the  Charge  addressed  to  his  Clergy  in 
1794,  which  I  have  already  noticed,  it  has 
been  seen  how  strongly  he  pressed  upon 
them  the  necessity  of  greater  zeal  and  activ- 
ity in  their  sacred  calling.  But  he  never 
imposed  a  burthen  upon  others,  of  which 
he  was  not  always  disposed  and  anxious  to 
i 


LIFE  Oi 


take  a  full  share  himself:  and  of  this  he  gave 
a  memorable  proof,  by  undertaking  to  pre- 
pare and  deliver  in  St.  James's  church,  on 
the  Fridays  during  Lent,  a  course  of  Lec- 
tures on  the  Gospel  of  St.  Matthew.     The 
reasons,  which  determined  him  thus  to  exert 
himself  out  of  the  ordinary  course  of  his 
professional  duty,  at  a  time  of  life  too  then 
far  advanced,  and  amidst  all  the  other  em- 
ployments of  a  most  laborious  diocese,  he 
has  himself  stated  in  his  Preface  to  the  Lec- 
tures ;  and  they  are  such  as  could  not  fail  to 
make  a  deep  impression  on  a  mind  like  his. 
The  gloomy  aspect  of  the  times;  the  alarm- 
ing  and  perilous  situation  of  this  country; 
the  astonishing  success,  which  every  where 
attended  its  enemies  abroad  ;  the  indefatiga- 
ble industry  of  other  enemies,   still  more 
formidable,  at  home,  in  diffusing  disloyalty 
and  infidelity  and  wickedness  amongst  the 
lower  orders  of  the  people  ;  the  unabated 
dissipation  of  the  upper  ranks  ;  their  ex- 
treme prodigality,  luxury  and  voluptuous- 
ness ;  the  marked  indifference,  which  was 
every  day  more  visible  in  their  conduct,  to 
all  moral  and  religious  obligations;  a  train 
of  circumstances  such  as  these  called  loudly, 


BISHOP    POUTEUS* 


he  thought,  on  the  serious  and  reflecting 
part  of  the  community,  to  make  some  vi- 
gorous struggle,  and  to  stand  boldly  forward 
in  the  maintenance  of  good  order  and  of  pub- 
lic morals.  He  felt  too,  that  these  were  ex- 
ertions in  a  peculiar  manner  incumbent  on 
the  clergy,  and  that  not  only  on  the  parochial 
minister,  but  on  those,  in  a  still  higher  de- 
gree, who  filled  the  more  exalted  stations  in 
the  church,  and  to  whom  therefore  attached 
a  weightier  responsibility. 

Influenced  by  these  reasons,  he  resolved 
on  discharging  his  share  at  least  of  such  a 
solemn  and  imperious  duty.     He  consider- 
ed that  "  it  \vould  be  no  unbecoming  conclu- 
sion of  his  life,  if  the  labours  of  his  declining 
years  should  tend  in  any  respect  to  render  the 
Holy  Scriptures  more  clear  and  intelligible, 
more  useful  and  delightful  ;  if  they  should 
cpnfirm  the  faith,  reform  the  manners,  con- 
sole and  revive  the  hearts  of  those  who  heard 
him  ;  and  vindicate  the  honour  of  our  Di- 
vine Master  from  those   gross  indignities 
and  insults,  which  had  been  so  indecently 
thrown  on  Him,  and  his  religion."     In  ad- 
dition to  these  leading  objects,  he  was  at  the 
same  time  not  without  the  hope  that  "  it 


LIFE   OF 


might  be  the  means  of  drawing,",  as  he  well 
observes,  "  a  little  more  attention  to  that  ho- 
ly, but  too  much  neglected  season,  which 
our  Church  has  very  wisely  set  apart  for 
the  purpose  of  retirement  and  recollection, 
and  of  giving  some  little  pause  and  respite 
to  the  ceaseless  occupations  and  amusements 
of  a  busy  and  a  thoughtless  world."  With 
these  views,  he  commenced  his  Lectures  on 
the  23d  of  February  1798,  and  never  surely 
was  any  undertaking  more  successfully  pur- 
sued, or  more  evidently  favoured  by  the  di- 
vine blessing.  The  eagerness  to  attend 
them  was  beyond  all  example.  The  church, 
long  before  the  service  begun,  was  crowded 
to  excess;  and  the  congregations  consisted 
not  only  of  the  higher  orders,  or  of  persons 
attached  exclusively  to  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land, but  of  people  in  every  rank  and  station 
of  life,  and  almost  of  every  possible  religious- 
persuasion.  There  seemed,  in  short,  to  be 
but  one  motive,  one  principle  in  all  —  an  anx- 
ious desire  to  hear  the  great  truths  of  Chris- 
tianity enforced  by  a  prelate,  who  stood  high 
in  the  public  estimation  for  his  powers  of 
oratory  and  his  enlarged  and  liberal  views, 
and  higher  still,  as  exemplifying  in  his  con- 


BMHOP   PORTELS.  10  i, 

slant  practice  the  true  character  of  a  Chris- 
tian Bishop. 

I  know  indeed  it  has  been  said,  but  most 
unjustly  and  disingenuously,  with  a  view  of 
detracting  from  their  merit,  and  the  effect 
which  they  produced,  that  it  was  the  fashion 
to  attend  his  Lectures.  To  this  my  first  an- 
swer is,  that  if  a  mere  compliance  with  fash- 
ion had  been  the  ruling  motive,  it  would  not 
have  continued  without  intermission  for  four 
years  together.  The  solicitude  of  persons, 
actuated  by  no  higher  impulse,  would,  in- 
stead of  increasing,  have  diminished;  where- 
as,  on  the  contrary,  it  is  an  undisputed  fact, 
that  the  church  was  every  successive  year, 
more  numerously  attended,  and  the  public 
desire  to  hear  him  carried,  if  possible,  to  a 
still  higher  pitch.  But  a  second,  and  a  bet- 
ter answer  is  to  be  found  in  the  Lectures 
themselves  ;  which,  a  part  from  the  earnest, 
devout,  animated,  and  dignified  manner  in 
which  they  were  delivered,  and  by  which  he 
gave  such  peculiar  force  and  interest  to  all 
his  discourses,  exhibit  such  a  luminous  in- 
terpretation of  Scripture  ;  such  a  clear  and 
ample  refutation  of  the  most  specious  objec- 
tions against  particular  parts  of  it ;  such  a 


102  LIFE    OF 

convincing  statement,  wherever  the  subject 
offered  itself,  of  the  evidences  on  which  it 
rests ;  such  an  unqualified  avowal  of  its  fun- 
damental doctrines ;  such  a  powerful  enforce- 
ment of  its  moral  duties;  such  a  felicity  in 
applying  the  characters  and  incidents,  which 
it  records,  to  the  heart  and  conscience;  in  a 
word,  such  an  awakening  view  of  the  vast 
importance  of  religion,  and  such  fervid  ex- 
hortations to  all  ranks  of  men  to  feel,  to  study, 
and  to  practise  it,  as  could  not  fail  deeply, 
to  affect  and  edify  the  persons  he  addressed. 
He  had  himself,  as  he  expressly  says,  "  the 
satisfaction  of  being  assured,    that  several 
even  of  those  amongst  his  audience,   who 
disbelieved  or  doubted  the  truth  of  Chris- 
tianity, were  impressed  with  a  more  favour- 
able    opinion   both  of    its   evidences    and 
its  doctrines,    and  with  a  higher    venera- 
tion   for  the    Sacred   Writings,    than  they 
had  before    entertained  ;"    and    indeed,     I 
am  most  fully    persuaded,  that  these  Lee- 
were,  under  God,  eminently  useful,  at  that 
critical  juncture,  in  checking  the  wild  career 
of  Infidel  opinion,  and  exciting  a  habit  of 
closer. inquiry  into  the  grounds  of  Revela- 
tion ;  that  they  were  the  means  of  reforming 


&ESJ1OV    PORTEUS. 


and  reclaiming  many,  who  had  been  seduced 
into  error;  and  that  generally  throughout  the 
Metropolis,  they  produced  at  the  time  an 
evident  change  in  the  tone  of  public  morals. 
They  have  now  been  some  years  in  print  , 
and  have  passed  through  several  editions  ; 
and  they  are,  I  believe,  universally  acknow- 
ledged, by  the  deliberate  judgment  of  all 
candid  men,  to  be  in  every  sense  worthy  of 
the  Bishop's  reputation,  and  to  have  render- 
ed essential  service  to  the  cause  of  virtue  and 
religion. 

It  was  not  however  merely  by  his  exer- 
tions in  the  pulpit,  .that  he  laboured  to  pro- 
mote those  great  objects.  He  had  long  ob- 
served with  regret  a  growing  disregard  for  the 
sanctity  and  solemnity  of  the  Lord's  Day, 
and  had  addressed  to  his  Clergy  the  very  ex- 
cellent Letter  on  that  subject,  which  the  rea- 
der will  find  amongst  his  Tracts.  This  was 
attended  unquestionably  by  some  benefit  : 
but  still  he  thought  it  highly  expedient  that, 
at  such  a  time,  and  in  a  matter  of  such  mo- 
ment, some  more  vigorous  measures  should 
be  adopted  ;  and,  accordingly,  at  a  meeting 
of  the  Society  for  enforcing  His  Majesty's 
Proclamation^  it  jnras  proposed,  as  the  mode 


104  -Lies.  OF 

likely  to  be  most  effectual,  that  the  higher 
ranks  of  society  should  be  invited  to  bind 
themselves  by  a  voluntary  resolution  to  ob- 
serve the  Sabbath  more  strictly  and  religious- 
ly, and  that,  as  an  example  to  the  lower  or- 
ders, the  resolution  should  be  made  public. 
With  this  view,  the  following  Declaration 
was  then  drawn  up  and  adopted  : 

"  We,  whose  names  are  hereunto  subscrib- 
ed, being  deeply  sensible  of  the  great  im- 
portance of  the  religious  observance  of  the 
Lord's  Day  to  the  interests  of  Christianity 
and  of  civil  society,  do  declare,  that  we  hold 
it  highly  improper  on  that  day  to  give  or 
accept  invitations  to  entertainments  or  as- 
semblies, or  (except  in  cases  of  urgency,  or 
for  purposes  of  charity)  to  travel,  or  to  exer- 
cise any  wordly  occupations,  or  to  employ 
our  domestics  or  dependents  in  any  thing 
interfering  with  their  public  or  private  reli- 
gious duties.  And  as  example,  and  a  pub- 
lic declaration  of  the  principles  of  our  own 
conduct,  more  peculiarly  at  this  time,  may 
tend  to  influence  the  conduct  of  others,  we 
do  hereby  further  declare  our  resolution  to 
adhere  (as  far  as  may  be  practicable)  to  the 
due  observance  of  the  Lord'«s  Day,  according 
to  the  preceding  Declaration.'' 


BISHOP    FORTH >.  10 J 

It  might  naturally  have  been  expected, 
that  a  measure  of  this  temperate  and  judi- 
cious description,  in  which  enthusiasm  had 
no  share  ;  in  which  there  was  not  the  most 
distant  intention  of  promoting  melancholy  or 
austerity,  or  oT  excluding  from  the  Sabbath 
any  innocent  relaxation  compatible  with  the 
sacred  purposes  of  its  institution ;  would 
have  met  with  general  approbation,  and  re- 
ceived the  cordial  support  of  all  candid  and 
reflecting  men.  Many  of  this  character  did 
in  fact  approve  and  sign  it ;  but  as  it  always 
happens,  when  more  than  ordinary  efforts 
>\re  made  on  the  side  of  Religion,  an  outcry 
was  immediately  raised  by  the  trifling  and  li- 
centious ;  and  the  most  shameful  misrepre- 
sentations of  the  objects  of  the  Society  were 
industriously  and  widely  circulated.  A- 
mongst  other  things,  it  was  confidently  af- 
firmed in  the  newspapers  of  the  day,  that  the 
Declaration  was  only  a  preparatory  step  to 
the  introduction  of  a  Bill  into  Parliament, 
in  order  to  take  away  from  the  common  peo- 
ple all  the  usual  comforts  of  the  Sunday  ;  to 
prevent  them  from  seeing  a  single  friend,  or 
from  taking  their  evening  walk  ;  to  confine 
them  rigidly  in  their  own  habitations,  and  to 


tOG  LIEE   OF 

oblige  them  to  spend  the  day  in  fasting  and 
in  prayer.  In  all  this  there  was  not,  and 
could  not  be,  a  particle  of  truth :  yet  this, 
and  other  gross  perversions  of  a  most  lauda- 
ble design,  but  too  well  answered  their  pur- 
pose, by  exciting  groundless  alarms  and  pre- 
judices in  a  part  of  the  community,  who 
would  otherwise,  it  is  probable,  have  had  no 
scruple  in  supporting  a  measure,  the  real  and 
the  only  object  of  which  was  a  more  rational 
and  a  more  religious  observance  of  the 
Christian  Sabbath.  Upon  this  point,  the 
Bishop  makes  the  following  just  observa- 
tion T  "That  men,"  he  says,  "who  wish 
to  see  not  only  the  Lord's  Day,  but  the 
Christian  Religion,  extinguished  in  this 
country,  should  raise  such  an  outcry  against 
a  measure  calculated  to  preserve  both,  is  no 
wonder :  but  that  men  of  sense,  of  piety, 
and  of  virtue,  should  adopt  the  same  lan- 
guage, and  join  in  the  profane  and  senseless 
uproar,  is  perfectly  astonishing." 

Early  in  1800,  his  long  and  memorable 
contest  with  a  Clergyman  in  his  diocese,  was 
brought  to  a  favourable  conclusion  by  the 
latter  suffering  judgment  to  go  by  default, 
and  the  consequent  forfeiture  to  the  Crown 


BISHOP   POKTEVS.  107 

of  a  valuable  living  in  Essex.  The  ques- 
tion thus  terminated  was  of  great  importance 
to  the  Church  of  England ;  as  it  was  the 
means  of  putting  an  effectual  stop  to  a  spe- 
cies of  Simony  at  that  time  gaining  ground ; 
namely,  purchasing  the  advowson  of  a  living, 
and  then  taking  a  lease  of  the  tythes,  glebe, 
house,  &c.  for  ninety-nine  years,  at  a  pepper- 
corn rent,  and  entering  into  immediate  pos- 
session of  the  premises,  and  all  the  profits? 
just  as  if  there  had  been  an  immediate  resig- 
nation. It  is  evident,  that  a  practice  such  as 
this>  was  subversive  of  the  proper  exercise 
of  ecclesiastical  discipline,  by  virtually  taking 
from  the  Ordinary  the  power,  which  by  law 
he  has,  of  rejecting  the  proffered  resignation 
of  a  benefice  under  a  suspicion  of  Simony. 
The  Bishop  therefore  had  long  determined, 
whenever  the  living  in  question  should  be- 
come vacant  by  the  demise  of  the  incumbent, 
to  refuse  institution  on  the  above-mentioned 
ground ;  and  when  the  time  arrived,  he  ad- 
hered inflexibly  to  his  purpose,  and  tried  the 
question.  In  doing  this,  he  was  well  aware 
that  he  was  bringing  upon  himself  much 
trouble,  and  no  slight  expense  ;  but  such 
considerations  had  no  weight  upon  his  mind ; 


103  LIFE    OF 

nor  was  he  tempted  by  any  solicitations, 
though  very  strong  ones  were  made,  to  change 
his  resolution.  Amongst  others,  he  receiv- 
ed a  formal  application,  from  the  Lord  Lieu- 
tenant, and  nearly  the  whole  Magistracy  of 
the  county  of  Essex  ;  but  though  he  concur- 
red with  them  in  giving  full  credit  to  the  gen- 
tleman, in  whose  favour  they  had  interested 
themselves,  for  his  agricultural  exertions, 
and  his  great  activity  as  a  county  magistrate, 
he  yet  declared  unequivocally  in  his  answer, 
that  he  could  not  on  that  account  connive  at 
a  simoniacal  contract ;  a  contract  of  which 
he  had  in  his  possession  the  clearest  proof ; 
which  he  considered  as  pregnant  with  the 
worst  consequences  to  the  Established 
Church  ;  and  which  therefore  he  felt  himself 
called  upon,  in  his  episcopal  character,  firm- 
ly to  resist. 

The  same  paramount  principle  of  public 
duty  had  induced  him  some  time  before  to 
withhold  his  assent  to  an  appointment  by  the 
East-India  Company  to  a  chaplaincy  in  Ben- 
gal. As  the  transaction  alluded  to  was  in  its 
consequences  of  great  importance,  and  was  so 
considered  by  the  Bishop,  I  shall  give  the 
account  of  it  in  his  own  words, 


BSIHOP   POIilLliS.  100 

^k  The  charter  of  the  East- India  Company 
requires,  that  the  chaplains,  whom  they  shall 
appoint,  shall  be  approved  by  the  Archbish- 
op of  Canterbury,  or  the  Bishop  of  London. 
The  Clergyman  therefore  elected  on  this  oc- 
casion, applied  to  me  for  my  approbation: 
but  as  I  had  been  informed,   upon  unques- 
tionable authority,  that  he   was  a  very  im- 
proper person  for  the  situation,  I  peremptorily 
refused  to  confirm  the  appointment.     This 
produced  much  clamour,  violence  and  oblo- 
quy from  him  and  his  friends ;  and  amongst 
other  things  I  was  threatened  with  a  Manda- 
mus from  the  Court  of  King's  Bench.     But 
I  stood  my  ground,  and  carried  my  point. 
I  was  also  strongly  urged  and  called  upon  to 
assign  my  reasons  for  the  opposition  I  had 
made -to  him  ;  but  I  refused  to  give  any,  ex- 
cept that  I  thought  him  an  unfit  person  for 
the  place:  conceiving  the  power  given  me 
by  the  charter  to  be  perfectly  discretional. 
By  this  resistance,  and  the  final,  though  re- 
luctant acquiescence  of  the  East-India  Com- 
pany, the  right  of  the   Archbishop  of  Can- 
terbury and  Bishop  of  London,    to  refuse 
their  assent  without  assigning  a  reason,  is 
fully  established;  and  it  is  on  this  accpunt 
K 


i 

HO  LIFE  Of 

that  I  leave  the  transaction  on  record,  for  the 
information  of  my  successors  in  the  See  of 
London ;  it  being  a  matter  of  the  utmost 
importance  to  the  interests  of  religion  in  our 
East-India  settlements."  To  this  I  am  en- 
abled to  add,  that  since  this  opposition,  which 
marks  in  a  strong  point  of  view  the  Bishop's 
firmness  of  mind,  in  a  matter  which  nothing 
but  spirit  and  energy  could  have  accomplish- 
ed, the  Company  have  been  much  more  care- 
ful in  recommending  clergy  men  of  approved 
principles  and  morals,  than  they  had  former- 
ly been.  Some  of  the  Directors  in  particu- 
lar have  paid,  much  to  their  honour,  pecu- 
liar attention  to  this  subject;  and  there  can 
indeed  be  no  question,  that  it  is  of  the  ut- 
most moment,  in  a  country  like  India,  where 
there  is  no  general  ecclesiastical  establish- 
ment, that  the  services  of  the  church  should 
at  least  be  performed  by  men  deeply  impres- 
sed with  the  dignity  of  their  sacred  function, 
and  able  and  zealous  in  the  discharge  of  its 
duties. 

In  April  1800,  Lord  Auckland  presented 
a  Bill  to  the  House  of  Lords,  the  object  of 
which  was  to  render  it  unlawful  for  persons 


BISHOP   PORTEUS.  1  H 

divorced  for  adultery  to  intermarry  with  each 
other.  This  unhappily  failed;  and  it  was 
matter  of  very  sincere  regret  to  the  Bishop, 
that  a  measure,  as  he  conceived,  imperious- 
ly called  for  by  the  increasing  profligacy  of 
the  times,  recommended  by  every  motive  ot 
expediency,  and  sanctioned  by  the  most  ex- 
press declarations  of  Scripture,  should  not 
have  been  permitted  to  pass  into  a  law.* 
During  its  progress  in  the  Upper  House,  he 
.spoke  strongly  in  its  favour ;  and  he  took  oc- 

*  The  absolute  necessity  of  some  legislative  measure 
to  check  the  progress  of  adulterous  intercourse,  cannot 
be  more  strikingly  exemplified  than  by  a  declaration 
made  by  Lord  Auckland,  that  from  the  reformation  to 
the  beginning  of  the  present  century,  he  could  only  find 
four  instances  of  parliamentary  divorces :  but  that  in  the 
present  reign  they  had  then  increased  to  the  enormous 
number  of  198.  If,  however,  any  further  proof  were 
wanting,  it  would  be  the  still  more  alarming  growth  of 
adultery  within  the  last  few  years,  and,  above  all,  the 
tool,  deliberate,  unblushing  indifference  with  which  it  is 
committed.  In  a  recent  instance,  more  particularly,  it 
seems  to  have  been  reduced  into  a  system,  and  to  have 
set  at  open  defiance  all  decency  and  all  law.  Surely 
those,  in  whose  hands  the  government  of  this  country  is 
placed,  are  bound,  as  they  value  the  Divine  blessing,  to 
provide  without  delay  some  effectual  barrier  against  the 
further  spread  of  so  much  shameless  iniquity. 


112  LIFE    Ot 

tasion  to  express  the  same  sentiments,  when 
an  unsuccessful  attempt  was  after  wards  made 
by  the  present  Marquis  of  Buckingham,  to 
introduce  a  clause  into  a  private  Divorce 
Bill,  with  a  view  of  prohibiting  the  intermar- 
riage of  the  guilty  parties.  His  speech,  on 
this  last  occasion,  was  as  follows  : 

"  After  the  very  able  manner  in  which  the 
clause  proposed  has  been  now  supported,  I 
certainly  do  not  mean  to  take  up  much  of 
your  Lordships'  time,  in  prolonging  the  dis- 
cussion of  it.  But,  on  a  question  of  such  im- 
portance, in  which  the  interests  of  morality 
and  religion  are  so  essentially  concerned,  it  is 
impossible  for  me,  in  the  situation  which  I 
have  the  honour  to  hold  in  the  church,  to  give 
a  silent  vote.  I  therefore  rise  merely  for  the, 
purpose  of  declaring  publicly  my  entire  con- 
currence in  the  clause  proposed  by  the  no- 
ble Marquis.  I  have  on  former  occasions 
fully  explained  my  sentiments  on  this  sub- 
ject, and  every  thing  I  have  heard  in  the 
course  of  this  day's  debate  confirms  me  in 
those  sentiments.  The  clause,  though  it 
will  certainly  not  go  to  the  root  of  the  evil, 
yet  will  surely  be  some  check -to  adultery, 
at  least  on  the  part  of  the  female.  It  will 


BISHOP   PORTEUS. 

take  away  the  encouragement  at  present  giv- 
en to  that  detestable  crime,  by  the  prospect 
of  a  future  marriage  of  the  adulteress  with  her 
seducer;  which  is  in  fact  offering  a  reward 
to  vice,  and  holding  out  a  premium  to  adul- 
tery. This  premium  operates  most  forcibly 
on  the  female  mindr  and  tends  to  destroy 
that  connection,  which  God  and  nature  have 
established  between  guilt  and  disgrace;  a  con- 
stitution of  things,  much  wiser,  I  apprehend, 
and  much  more  conducive  to  the  general  wel- 
fare of  mankind,  than  that  very  liberal  system 
of  modern  ethics,  which  inculcates  so  much 
pity  and  tenderness  and  indulgence  to  crimes 
of  the  very  worst  complexion.  I  am  aware, 
my  Lords,  that  this  clause  is  only  a  partial 
remedy.  It  does  not  go  to  the  punishment 
of  the  seducer,  who  is,  I  confess,  generally 
the  most  culpable  of  the  two  guilty  parties. 
But  this  may  be  brought  forward  on  some 
future  occasion.  In  the  mean  time,  let  us 
do  something;  let  us  do  what  we  can.  To 
crush  an  evil  of  such  magnitude,  we  must 
go  on  gradually,  and  proceed  step  by  step. 
The  hydra  of  adultery  cannot  be  subdued  all 
at  once:  but  we  may  cut  off  the  many  heads  of 
K  2 


11-1  LIFE    0* 

the  monster  one  by  one,  till  at  last  it  may  be- 
come a  lifeless  trunk. 

"  My  Lords,  I  shall  only  detain  your 
Lordships  a  few  moments  more,  just  to  no- 
tice an  argument,  which  has  been  very  much 
relied  upon  by  the  Noble  Lords,  who  ob- 
ject to  the  clause  in  question,  and  which  ap- 
pears to  me  wholly  gratuitous  and  unfound- 
td.  They  have  always  taken  it  for  granted, 
and  assumed  it  as  a  kind  of  postulatum,  that 
if  the  adulteress  be  not  permitted  to  marry 
her  seducer,  she  is  necessarily  and  of  course 
driven  into  prostitution  for  life.  Now  this 
I  hold  to  be  an  assumption  which  cannot  be 
maintained.  Is  there  no 'alternative,  no  mid- 
dle and  better  course  between  marriage  with 
the  seducer  and  a  life  of  prostitution?  Is 
it  not  possible,  that  the  adulteress  may  be 
struck  with  horror,  with  contrition  and  re- 
morse for  her  crime?  May  she  not  even  wish 
to  seclude  herself  for  a  time  from  the  world; 
to  withdraw  herself  from  the  observation  of 
mankind,  and  endeavour  to  recover  in  the 
privacy  of  retirement  those  virtuous  habits 
which  she  has  unfortunately  lost?  Instances 
of  this  sort  are  undoubtedly  to  be  found,  es- 
pecially amongst  those,  who  have  been  edu~ 


BISHOP   PORT  l 


cated  in  principles  of  virtue  and  religion,  but 
in  some  unguarded  hour  have,  by  the  vile 
aits  of  an  abandoned  man,  been  betrayed  into 
guilt.  This,  my  Lords,  has,  I  know,  some- 
times happened;  and  sure  I  am,  that  this 
temporary  seclusion  gives  a  woman  an  infi- 
nitely better  chance  for  recovery,  than  a 
marriage  with  her  seducer.  For,  can  your 
Lordships  suppose,  that  the  conversation 
and  society  of  a  man,  who  has  shewn  him- 
self destitute  of  every  principle  of  honour 
and  virtue  ;  who  has  been  guilty  of  so  foul 
and  base  a  crime,  as  to  corrupt  the  wife,  of 
perhaps  his  dearest  friend,  and  plunge  the  ve- 
ry object  of  his  affection  into  a  gulf  of  sin 
and  misery  ;  can  your  Lordships,  I  say,  sup- 
pose, that  the  society  of  such  a  man  can  pos- 
sibly be  the  means  of  restoring  to  her  that  pu- 
rity of  mind  which  he  has  himself  destroyed  ; 
or  that  his  house  should  be  the  proper  school 
for  repentance  and  for  reformation?  No,  my 
Lords,  the  true,  the  only  way  to  bring  the 
unhappy  victim  back  into  the  path  of  virtue, 
is  to  separate  her  from  the  arms  of  her  vile 
betrayer;  to  lead  her  into  retirement;  to 
place  her  under  the  protection  of  a  few  kind 
relatives  or  friends,  and  thus  give  her  an  op- 


110 


LIFE    OF 


portunity  of  making  her  peace  with  her  of- 
fended Maker;  and,  by  the  discreetness  and 
circumspection  of  her  future  conduct,  of  re- 
covering in  some  degree  her  former  character, 
and  re- establishing  herself  in  the  good  opin- 
ion of  the  world." 

It  was  during  the  debate  on  this  subject 
in  the  House  of  Lords,  that  Lord  Clare,  at 
that  time  Lord  Chancellor  of  Ireland,  pub- 
licly declared  in  Parliament,  that,  in  his  opin- 
ion, marriage  was  a  mere  civil  contract,  and 
that  where  that  contract  was  declared  void 
by  a  competent  jurisdiction,  the  parties  were 
at  liberty  to  marry  again.  "  Now  this  posi- 
tion," says  the  Bishop,  "  I  hold  to  be  a  false 
and  dangerous  doctrine.  Marriage  is  indeed 
a  civil  contract;  but  then  it  is  also  some- 
thing more.  It  is  a  divine  ordinance.  It  is 
so  pronounced  to  be  by  our  Saviour.  It  is 
also  declared  so  to  be  in  our  Marriage  Cere- 
mony.  Now  the  Christian  religion  is  incor- 
porated into  our  Constitution,  and  made  a 
part  of  the  law  of  the  land ;  and  the  Litur- 
gy besides  is  formally  established  by  Act  of 
Parliament.  It  follows  therefore  that  matri- 
mony is  considered  by  the  law  of  England 
as  a  divine  institution.  Indeed,  if  it  were 


BISHOP   PORTED.  117 

not  so,  why  should  adultery  be  considered 
as  so  very  heinous  a  crime  ?  What  would 
the  breach  -of  marriage  be  as  a  mere  civil 
contract,  but  a  mere  civil  offence." 

To  this  I  may  add,  that  Lord  Loughbo- 
rough,  then  Lord  Chancellor,  at  the  Bishop's 
earnest  and  particular  request,  took  occasion 
to  give  a  direct  contradiction  to  Lord  Clare's 
assertion,  by  declaring  it  to  be  his  fixed 
opinion,  that  "  marriage  was  not  only  a  civil 
institution,  but  also  a  divine  ordinance,  and 
that  k  was  uniformly  so  considered  by  the 
laws  of  England." 

The  year  1800  closed  by  a  singular  con- 
currence of  circumstances  ;  the  commence- 
ment on  the  same  day  of  a  new  year,  a  new 
century,  and  the  Union  of  Ireland  with  Great 
Britain.  Such  a  combination  of  events 
would  naturally  make  a  strong  impression 
on  a  thinking  and  religious  mind,  and  it  evi- 
dently made  a  very  strong  one  on  the  Bish- 
op. "  The  present/'  he  says,  in  a  passage 
written  with  his  thoughts  full  of  the  subject, 
and  elevated  by  the  warmest  patriotic  feel- 
ings, "  the  present  is  a  memorable  aera  in 
the  annals  of  this  kingdom.  God  grant  it 


11&  LIFE   OF 

may  be  a  happy  one !  Auspicium  melioris- 
revi!  replete  with  the  choicest  blessings  of 
Heaven  upon  this  land,  and  bringing  back  to 
us  once  more  that  Divine  assistance  and  pro- 
tection, which  have  lately  been  withdrawn 
from  us,  and  without  which  all  the  efforts  of 
human  wisdom  and  power,  as  we  have  found 
by  sad  experience,  can  avail  us  nothing  I" 

"  To  me,"  he  adds,  "  a  gracious  Provi- 
dence has  marked  the  close  of  this  centu- 
ry by  many  propitious  circumstances  ;  more 
particularly,  by  favouring  me  with  success 
in  a  contest  of  great  importance  with  a  cler- 
gyman of  my  diocese,  in  which  the  interests 
of  Religion  and  the  Church  of  England 
were  materially  involved.  Would  to  God  I 
the  century  had  closed  in  a  manner  equally 
favourable  to  this  country.  But,  alas !  it 
has  been  the  reverse.  The  last  year  has  en- 
tirely blotted  out  all  the  glorious  events  and 
fair  prospects  of  the  preceding  one,  and  left 
us  in  a  more  perilous  situation  than  we  were 
ever  placed  in  before !  In  truth,  the  sud- 
den, frequent,  and  astonishing  vicissitudes 
of  this  war  have  no  parrellel  in  history,  and 
are  plainly  out  of  the  ordinary  course  of  hu- 
man affairs.  They  bear  the  most  evident 


BISHOP    PORTEUS.  I  !l) 

marks  of  an  Almighty  overruling  hand ;  and, 
sure  I  am,  that  nothing  but  the  interposition 
of  the  same  irresistible  Power  in  our  behalf 
•^an  rescue  us  from  ruin." 

Such  were  the  sentiments  of  this  great 
Prelate  more  than  ten  years  ago  on  the  state 
of  this  country.  How  much  greater  reason 
have  we  at  the  present  day,  and  amidst  the 
present  awful  and  tumultuous  scene  of  things 
to  stand  amazed  at  the  mysterious  ways  of 
Providence,  and  to  send  up  our  devoutest 
prayers  to  the  Supreme  Disposer  of  all  human 
events,  not  to  forsake  us  in  this  hour  of  pe- 
ril !  Unless  He  protect  us,  we  must  sink  in- 
evitably beneath  the  dangers  which  surround 
us:  and  yet  who  must  not  tremble  at  the 
thought,  how  very  little  we  deserve  to  be 
protected ! 

In  the  Autumn  of  1801,  a  very  interest, 
ing  scene  took  place,  which,  though  strictly 
of  a  private  nature,  I  cannot  forbear  from 
mentioning.  It  is  thus  related  by  the  Bish- 
op : "  Yesterday,  the  6th  of  August,  I 

passed  a  very  pleasant  day  at  Shrewsbury 
House,  near  Shooter's  Hill,  the  residence  of 
the  Princess  Charlotte  of  Wales.  The  day 
was  fine;  and  the  prospect  extensive  and 


i20  LIFE  OF 


beautiful,  taking  in  a  large  reach  of  the 
Thames,  which  was  covered  with  vessels  of 
various  sizes  and  descriptions.  We  saw 
a  good  deal  of  the  young  Princess.  She  is 
a  most  captivating  and  engaging  child,  and, 
considering  the  high  station  she  may  hereaf- 
ter fill,  a  most  interesting  and  important  one. 
She  repeated  to  me  several  of  her  hymns 
with  great  correctness  and  propriety;  and 
on  being  told  that,  when  she  went  to 
South-End  in  Essex,  as  she  afterwards  did 
for  the  benefit  of  sea-bathing,  she  would  then 
be  in  my  Diocese,  she  fell  down  on  her  knees 
and  begged  my  blessing.  I  gave  it  her  with 
all  my  heart,  and  with  my  earnest  secret 
prayers  to  God,  that  she  might  adoni  her  il- 
lustrious station  with  every  Christian  grace  ; 
and  that  if  ever  she  became  the  Queen  of 
this  truly  great  and  glorious  country,  she 
might  be  the  means  of  diffusing  virtue,  piety, 
and  happiness  through  every  part  of  her 
dominions!" 

Soon  after  this  incident  occurred,  the  Bish- 
op went,  as  usual,  to  his  little  cottage  at  Sun- 
dridge.  It  has  been  already  stated,  that  on 
his  accession  to  the  See  of  London,  he  was 
Obliged  very  reluctantly  to  relinquish  Hun- 


BISHOP   PORTIAS.  121 

ton.  From  that  time  he  lived  principally  dur- 
ing the  summer  at  Fulham  Palace,  which,  by 
the  successive  improvements  it  had  under- 
gone, and  particularly  by  some  very  judicious 
alterations  of  his  own,  adding  much  both  to 
its  beauty  and  convenience,  was  in  all  respects 
a  truly  venerable  and  most  desirable  resi- 
dence. So  indeed  he  always  considered  it : 
but  still,  from  its  proximity  to  the  Metro- 
polis, and  its  being  close  to  a  poor  and  popu- 
lous village,  it  had  not  that  tranquillity  and 
retirement  about  it,  which  he  so  much  co- 
veted :  and  therefore,  soon  after  entering 
upon  his  new  bishoprick,  he  determined  to 
obtain  some  small  habitation  in  his  favourite 
county  of  Kent,  where  he  might  spend  a 
month  or  two  every  Autumn ;  and  one  of 
that  description  being  vacant  at  Sundridge, 
he  immediately  secured  the  lease  of  it.  The 
situation  was  a  most  delightful  one,  about 
the  middle  of  the  beautiful  valley,  which 
runs  between  Westerham  and  Sevenoaks,  in 
a  country  remarkable  for  its  rich,  picturesque 
and  varied  scenery,  abounding  in  the  best 
society,  and  possessing,  in  short,  all  the  at- 
tractions which  could  recommend  it  to  his 
choice.  Here  then  he  always  passed  a  part- 
t 


122  LIFE  OF 

of  the  year  in  a  manner  most  agreeable  to  his 
wishes ;  enjoying  that  rural  quiet,  which  car- 
ried  to  his  mind  so  many  charms  ;  mixing 
cheerfully  and  frequently  with  the  excellent 
neighbourhood  by  which  he  was  surround- 
ed; inquiring  into  and  relieving  the  wants 
of  the  poor  people  who  needed  his  assistance, 
and  benefiting  them  in  every  way  by  his 
care,  his  counsel,  his  instruction  and  his  ex- 
ample. Amongst  other  instances  of  atten- 
tion to  them,  he  contributed  liberally,  at  the 
time  I  am  speaking  of,  towards  repairing 
and  embellishing  their  parochial  church* : 
and  I  shall  soon  have  occasion  to  record  an 
act  of  still  greater  munificence,  which,  if 
any  thing  could  have  added  to  the  respect 
and  veneration  in  which  he  was  before  held, 
will  immortalize  his  name  as  the  benefactor 
of  that  parish. 

*  The  chancel  was  at  the  same  time  much  improved  at 
the  expense  of  the  present  worthy  Rector  of  Sundridge, 
Dr.  Vyse ;  and  Lord  Frederick  Campbell,  who  resides 
at  a  most  beautiful  place  in  the  parish,  called  Coomb 
Bank,  and  of  whose  benevolence  on  all  occasions,  where 
it  can  be  usefully,  exerted,  it  is  impossible  to  speak  too 
highly,  undertook  to  makje  an  excellent  road  to  the 
church,  instead  of  a  very  narrow  and  bad  one,  which  be- 
fore led  to  it  from  the  village. 


BISHOP   PORTEUS.  123 

In  the  months  of  April  and  May  in  the 
following  year,    1802,  he  undertook  for  the 
fourth  time  the    visitation  of  his  Diocese. 
This  at  his  advanced  age  was  an  arduous  and 
laborious  undertaking;   more    particularly, 
as  from  its  increasing  population  he  thought 
it  necessary  to  extend  his  confirmations  to 
the  more  distant  parts  of  the  county  of  Es- 
sex, where  they  had  never  been  held  before, 
On  this  occasion,  I  had  the  honour  of  atten- 
ding him,  as  his  chaplain;  and  I  can  never 
forget  the  admirable  and  striking  manner  in 
which  he  executed  all  the  duties  of  his  high 
station ;  the  attention,  the  respect,  the  kind- 
ness which  he  shewed  to  his    Clergy ;  the 
anxiety  he  displayed  to  rectify  all  that  was 
wrong,  to  encourage  all  that  was  good ;  the 
dignified  solemnity,  with  which  he  perform- 
ed the  rite  of  Confirmation,  and  the  deep  im- 
pression, which  was  uniformly  made  by  his 
animated,  simple,  and  affectionate  address  to 
the  congregation,  when  that  service  was  con- 
cluded.    This  address,  I  doubt  not,  is  still 
fixed,  in  substance  at  least,  on  the  recollec- 
tion of  thousands :  but  as  a  correct  copy  of 
it  has  never  been  before  the  public,  and  as 
those,  who  heard  it,  cannot  but  feel  an  inter- 


MPE    OF 


€st  in  reading,  what  so  much  touched  and 
affected  them  at  the  time  of  its  delivery,  I 
shall  here  insert  it  at  length. 

"  The  office  of  Confirmation  is  now  over:' 
but  before  you  leave  this  place,  I  have  a  few 
words  to  say  to  you,  to  which  I  desire  you 
will  all  pay  the  most  serious  attention.  Re- 
member, I  beseech  you,  every  one  of  you, 
as  long  as  you  live,  what  has  passed  here  this 
clay.  Think  not  that  it  is  a  mere  formal,  un- 
meaning ceremony,  which  extends  not  be- 
yond the  moment  ;  which  may  be  forgotten 
as  soon  as  it  is  over,  and  which  can  have  no 
influence  on  your  future  conditon  either  here 
or  hereafter.  On  the  contrary,  it  is  one  of 
the  most  awful,  one  of  the  most  important, 
and,  if  it  is  not  your  own  fault,  one  of  the 
most  useful  acts  of  your  whole  lives.  It  is 
a  solemn  dedication  of  yourselves  in  this  sa- 
cred place  to  God  and  to  religion.  It  is  a 
voluntary  oblation  of  yourselves,  your  souls 
and  bodies,  at  your  first  entrance  into  the 
world,  at  the  first  commencement  of  your 
rational  life,  to  the  service  of  your  Maker 
and  Redeemer.  You  have,  in  short,  chosen 
this  day  whom  you  will  serve  ;  you  have 
chosen  Christ  for  your  Lord  and  Master  ; 


15I5HOP   PORTEUS.  125 

you  have,  in  the  presence  of  God  and  of 
this  congregation,  professed  yourselves  his 
disciples;  you  have  vowed  fidelity  and  alle- 
giance to  him ;  you  have  promised  to  believe 
his  doctrines  and  to  obey  his  laws. 

"  Take  care  then,  every  one  of  you,  that 
you  punctually  fulfil  these  sacred  engage- 
ments; and  be  assured,  that,  upon  your  do- 
ing so,  depend  the  whole  comfort  and  happi- 
ness of  your  future  lives,  both  in  this  world 
and  the  next.     And  that  you  may  be  enabled 
to  do  all  this,  you  must  frequently  and  fer- 
vently apply  for  the  assistance  of  God's  Holy 
Spirit;    you  must  never  let  the   morning 
rise  nor  the  evening  close  upon  you,  without 
addressing  God  in  private  prayer;  you  must 
be  constant  in  your  attendance  on  the  public 
service  of  the  Church,  on  the  Lord's  Day, 
both  morning  and  afternoon  ;   you  must  re- 
member that  God  claims  that  day  as  his  orvn 
and  that  he  has  stamped  upon  it  a  peculiar 
mark  of  sanctity,  which  you  must  never  dare 
to  violate  by  following  your  ordinary  amuse- 
ments, or  ordinary  occupations  on  that  day, 
or  by  any  act  of  levity,  dissipation,  profane- 
ness  and  immorality. 

"  And  you  must  not  only   attend  to  the 
L2 


126  LIFE    OP 

general  duties  of  the  Church,  but  must  pre- 
pare yourselves,  as  soon  as  possible,  for  that 
most  solemn  rite  of  our  religion,  the  Sacra- 
ment of  the  Lord's  Supper:  that  supper, 
which  Christ  himself  did  almost  with  his  dy- 
ing breath  command  you  to  receive  in  remem- 
brance of  him.  Above  all  things,  let  this 
consideration  sink  deep  into  your  hearts,  and 
be  for  ever  present  to  your  thoughts;*  that 
this  world  is  not  the  only  one  you  have  to 
live  in ;  but  that  after  death  you  will  pass 
into  another,  where  you  will  be  judged  for 
every  thing  that  you  have  thought,  said,  or 
done  in  this ;  and  according  as  you  are  found 
innocent  or  guilty,  by  your  Almighty  Judge 
you  will,  through  the  merits  of  your  Redee- 
mer, be  rewarded  with  everlasting  happiness, 
or,  on  the  contrary,  be  doomed  to  never-cea- 
sing misery. 

"  Eternity,  in  short,  with  all  its  awful 
train  of  consequences,  is  now  before  you, 
and  whether  it  shall  be  a  happy  or  a  misera- 
ble one,  will  in  a  great  degree  depend  on  the 
course  you  now  take  at  your  first  setting 
out  in  the  world;  for  the  habits  you  now 
form  will  determine  your  future  character 
and  conduct:  the  steps  you  now  take  will 


BISHOP   PORTEVS.  127 

probably  decide  your  doom  for  ever.  Be 
resolved  then  at  once,  and  Remember  your 
Creator  in  the  days  of  your  youth.  If  you 
do,  you  may  depend  upon  it,  that  your  Crea- 
tor will  not  forget  you  all  the  days  of  your 
life.  He  \vill  look  down  upon  you  with  an 
eye  of  uncommon  favour  and  approbation. 
He  will  bless  and  prosper  you  in  all  your  ho- 
nest designs  and  undertakings  ;  will  conduct 
you  through  the  dangers,  the  difficulties,  the 
distresses  of  this  mortal  scene,  to  a  state  of 
endless  felicity  hereafter  ;  and  in  the  mean- 
while, like  your  blessed  Master  in  the  same 
period  of  life,  you  will  be  growing  in  wis- 
dom, and  in  stature,  and  in  favour  both  with 
God  and  man. 

"  You  may  now  depart  to  your  respective 
homes,  and  may  the  blessing  of  God  for  ever 
rest  upon  you." 

The  Charge,  which  he  delivered  on  this 
last  visitation,  was  inferior  in  spirit,  energy 
and  usefulness,  to  none  of  the  former.  It 
embraced  a  variety  of  the  most  important 
topics  ;  and,  in  particular,  the  necessity  of 
redoubled  zeal,  on  the  part  of  the  clergy,  not 
only  to  counteract  the  pernicious  tendency 
of  that  multitude  of  foreign  infidel  publi- 


123 


Of 


cations,  which  during  the  short  interval  of 
peace,  had  found  their  way  into  this  country; 
but  also  to  check  in  the  most  effectual  way, 
the  growth  of  fanaticism,  and  of  separation 
from   the  Church.     The  way  which  he  re- 
commended to  them,  as  best  according  with 
the  true  spirit  and  genius  of  Christianity, 
was,  not  violence  and  animosity,  not  bitter- 
ness  and  persecution,  but  a  faithful,  fervent, 
conscientious  discharge  of  the  whole    and 
every  part  of  their  ministerial  duty;  and  it 
is  assuredly  the  only  way  by  which   we  can 
ever  hope  to  prevail  against   that  sectarian 
zeal,  which  strengthens  with  our  weakness, 
and  triumphs  by  our  inactivity ....  I  hesi- 
tate not  to  quote  the  following  passage,  be- 
cause it  speaks  the    language  of  wisdom, 
and  cannot  be  too  widely  diffused  through 
every  part  of  the  kingdom.     "  It  is,"  says 
the  Bishop,  "  a  fact,  which  admits  of  little 
doubt,  that  when  the  itinerant  preacher  goes 
forth  upon  his  mission,  he  commonly  looks 
out  for  those  parishes,  where  either  the  shep- 
herd  has  entirely  deserted  his  flock,  and  is 
employing  or    amusing  himself  elsewhere, 
or  where  he  unfortunately  pays  so  little  atten- 
tion to  it,  is  so  indolent,  so   lukewarm,  so 


lilSHOP    PORTEUS.  129 

indifferent  to  its  welfare,  as  to  make  it  an  easy 
prey  to  every  bold  invader.  There  that  in- 
vader finds  an  easy  access  and  a  welcome 
reception,  and  soon  collects  together  a  large 
number  of  proselytes.  But,  in  general,  he 
very  prudently  keeps  aloof  from  those  par- 
ishes, where  he  sees  a  resident  minister  con- 
ducting himself  in  the  manner  I  have  above 
described ;  watching  over  his  people  with 
unremitted  care;  grounding  them  early  in 
the  rudiments  of  sound  religion ;  guarding 
them  carefully  against  the  false  glosses  and 
dangerous  delusions  of  illiterate  and  unau- 
thorised teachers;  bringing  them  to  a  con- 
slant  attendance  on  divine  worship  in  their 
parish  churches:  and  manifesting  the  same 
zeal,  activity,  and  earnestness  to  retain  his 
people  in  the  Church  of  England,  which  he 
sees  others  exert  to  seduce  them  from  it. 
Into  parishes  so  constituted,  the  self-commis- 
sioned preacher  seldom,  if  ever,  enters ;  or, 
if  he  does,  he  rarely  gains  any  permanent 
footing,  any  settled  establishment  in  them. 
He  is  in  most  cases  forced  to  give  way  to 
the  superior  weight  and  influence  of  a  regu- 
lar, a  learned,  an  exemplary,  and  a  diligent 
pastor.  This  then  is  the  true,  the  most  cf- 


130  LIFE   OF 

fectual  way,  of  counteracting  the  progress  of 
schism  and  fanaticism.  There  are  numbers, 
I  am  persuaded,  here  present,  who  can,  from 
their  own  experience,  and  their  own  lauda- 
ble exertions,  bear  testimony  to  the  truth  of 
this  position ;  and  whenever  this  remedy  is 
universally  applied  (as  I  hope  and  trust  it 
gradually  will)  I  do  not  hesitate  to  predict 
that  the  evil  complained  of  will  be  consider- 
ably lessened,  ?n  some  instances  entirely  sub- 
dued. 

"  Indeed,  it  would,  I  think,  be  degrading 
to  the  honour  and  dignity  of  our  antient  and 
venerable  Establishment,  to  suppose  that  a 
Church  founded  on  the  Gospel  of  Christ ; 
cemented  with  the  blood  of  its  martyrs;  con- 
structed by  some  of  the  wisest,  most  learned, 
most  pious,  most  eminent  men  of  that  or  al- 
most any  other  period  ;  a  Church,  which  has 
stood  the  test  of  ages,  and  the  shock  of  perse- 
cution; which  is  the  great  bulwark  of  Protes- 
tantism in  Europe,  the  admiration  of  foreign 
nations,  and  the  glory  of  our  own  ;  it  would, 
I  say,  be  paying  but  an  ill  compliment  to  such 
an  Establishment  to  suppose,  that  a  Church  so 
constituted,  and  at  the  same  time  suppor- 
ted and  protected  by  the  State,  can  be 


BISHOP   PORTEVS.  131 

ken,  or  in  any  material  degree  injured,  by  the 
invectives  or  misrepresentations  of  any  ad- 
versaries that  we  have  to  contend  withe 
No,  my  Brethren,  let  us  think  better  of  our- 
selves ;  let  us  be  true  to  ourselves  ;  let  us 
make  the  best  use  of  the  vast  advantages  we 
possess ;  let  us  exert  ourselves  in  our  se- 
veral stations  with  diligence,  with  vigour, 
with  energy  and  with  perseverance,  and  we 
have  nothing  to  fear." 

In  addition  to  these  admirable  observa- 
tions, which  I  would  to  God  were  universal- 
ly felt  and  followed,  he  exhorted  his  clergy 
to  encourage  amongst  their  people,  peculi- 
arly at  such  a  time,  a  spirit  of  loyalty,  obedi- 
ence and  subordination ;  and,  with  that  view 
recommended  to  them  in  the  strongest  terms 
the  adoption  in  their  respective  parishes  of 
those  excellent  institutions,  Sunday  Schools; 
or,  if  these  should  be  disapproved,  or  thought 
impracticable,  the  propriety  at  least  in  some 
'way  or  other  of  educating  the  lower  classes 
of  the  people,  and  instructing  them  in  the 
principles  of  the  Christian  Faith.  The  con- 
clusion of  this  Charge,  the  last  he  ever  deli- 
vered, is  very  affecting.  "  I  have  now  sta- 
ted to  you,"  he  says,  "  what  appeared  to  me 


132  LIFE   OF 

most  worthy  of  your  attention,  and  most 
necessary  to  the  present  moment.  And  as. 
at  my  advanced  period  of  life,  I  dare  scarce- 
ly indulge  the  hope  of  being  permitted  to 
meet  you  again  in  this  place,  I  was  anxious 
to  take  this  opportunity  of  collecting  into  one 
view,  and  pressing  upon  your  most  serious 
consideration,  every  thing  that  presented  it- 
self to  my  mind,  as  most  conducive  to  your 
real  credit  and  welfare,  to  the  best  interests 
of  the  Church  of  England,  and  to  the  gener- 
al diffusion  of  sound  morality  and  genuine 
piety  and  religion  throughout  the  great  mass 
of  the  people  of  this  land.  What  I  have 
here  offered  to  your  thoughts,  I  do  in  my 
best  judgment,  after  the  most  mature  consi- 
deration and  the  experience  of  a  long  life, 
most  conscientiously  believe  to  be  well  cal- 
culated for  those  important  purposes  ;  and  I 
entreat  -you  to  receive  it  as  the  advice  of  one, 
who  can  now  have  no  other  possible  view  in 
this  world  but  that  of  discharging  the  various 
duties  incumbent  on  him  (more  especially 
those  which  he  owes  to  you)  to  the  best  of 
those  abilities,  which  God  has  given  him. 
And  it  will  be  my  last  and  most  fervent 
prayer  to  Heaven^that  both  you  and  I  may 


BISHOP   PORTEUS.  13o 

be  well  prepared  for  that  most  awful  account, 
which  we  must  all  of  us  give,  of  the  sacred 
and  important  trust  reposed  in  us,  at  the 
tribunal  of  our  Almighty  Judge." 

On  the  subject  of  Residence,  in  this 
Charge,  the  Bishop  stated  that  the  considera- 
tion of  the  question  was  then  before  the  Le- 
gislature. The  fact  was,  that  under  the 
Statutes  of  the  21st  of  Henry  the  Eighth, 
many  vexatious  prosecutions  had  been  in- 
stituted by  common  informers,  for  the  mere 
sake  of  the  penalties,  against  non-resident 
clergy;  inconsequence  of  which,  many  ex- 
cellent men  had  been  subjected  to  great  hard- 
ships. It  was  therefore  extremely  desira- 
ble, that  such  persons  should  be  relieved 
from  the  pressure  of  these  Acts;  and  accord- 
ingly with  this  view  a  short  Bill  was  in  the 
first  instance  introduced,  to  suspend  all  ac- 
tions on  the  Statutes  of  Henry  till  the  25th 
of  March  1802.  And  during  the  interval 
another  Bill  was  brought  forward  by  Sir 
William  Scott,  the  outline  of  which,  as 
stated  by  himself  in  a  speech  of  great  learn- 
ing, ability  and  eloquence,  was  shortly  this: 
first,  on  the  matter  of  farming— for  on  that 
point  also  the  Act  of  Henry  was  extremely 
M 


ri34  LIFE  OF 

rigorous  and  severe — to  give  the  clergy  the 
liberty  of  farming  in  cases  where  they  had 
been  injuriously  prohibited;  and,  secondly, 
in  the  matter  of  residence — to  give  a  fair 
and  reasonable  allowance  of  time  to  the  cler- 
gyman for  the  occasions  of  private  life,  free 
from  the  vexatious  suits  of  an  informer, 
though  still  subject  to  the  superintendancc 
of  his  proper  superior :  to  allow  an  exemp- 
tion from  all  penalties  for  clergymen  bearing 
certain  offices,  during  the  times  required  for 
the  duties  of  those  offices:  to  restore  the 
power  of  bishops  to  grant  licenses  for  ab- 
scence  in  certain  enumerated  and  expressed 
cases ;  and  in  other  cases,  which  cannot  be 
specifically  foreseen  or  provided  for,  to  allow 
the  concurrence  and  consent  of  the  metropo- 
litan to  have  that  effect.  This  Bill,  which, 
before  it  was  introduced,  had  been  long  in 
contemplation,  was  afterwards  warmly  deba- 
ted in  Parliament,  and  every  point  of  it  ma- 
turely weighed  and  thoroughly  discussed. 
Many  of  its  clauses  were  very  strongly  op- 
posed; and,  amongst  others,  the  Bishop 
was  himself  of  opinion,  that  the  exemptions 
were  too  numerous,  so  as  considerably  to 
weaken  the  general  good  effects  of  the  Bill. 


BISHOP    PORTEUS.  135 

w  Those,"  he  observes,  a  which  I  particu- 
larly wished  to  be  omitted,  were,  in  the  first 
class  of  absolute  exemptions,  those  granted 
to  the  Chaplains  of  the  British  Factories 
abroad  and  to  Fellows  of  Colleges  ;  and,  in 
the  second  class  of  discretionary  exemptions, 
those  allowed  to  Masters  of  Hospitals,  Lec- 
turers and  Preachers  of  Proprietary  Cha- 
ples,  or  to  the  Masters  or  Ushers  of  Schools, 
not  endowed.  I  also  objected  to  the  permis- 
sion given  to  persons  possessing  small  bene- 
fices to  serve  curacies  in  great  towns  or  other 
places;  and  to  the  omission  of  the  Oath  of 
Residence  formerly  taken.  Experience  will 
shew,  whether  these  and  perhaps  a  few 
other  exemptions  will  not  open  too  wide  a 
door  to  non-residence,  and  in  some  degree 
defeat  the  good  intentions  of  the  Legislature, 
and  the  great  object  of  the  Bill.  I  admit 
however  that,  in  its  general  frame  and  struc- 
ture, it  is  undoubtedly  a  very  judicious  one, 
and  that  it  reflects  the  highest  credit  on  the 
temper,  moderation,  and  distinguished  ta- 
lents of  the  excellent  person  who  drew  it  up, 
and  who  took  upon  himself  the  laborious 
task  of  carrying  it  through  the  House  of 
Commons.'7 


126 


LIFE   OF 


During  the  discussion  of  this  question  ia 
the  Committee  of  the  House  of  Lords,  the 
Bishop  proposed  a  clause,  empowering  the 
ordinary  to  require  a  resident  curate,  wher- 
ever the  incumbent  himself  was  exempted 
from  residence.  This  he  considered  abso- 
lutely necessary  to  remedy  the  imperfections 
and  render  effectual  the  beneficial  operations 
of  the  Act.  It  was  thought  however  at 
that  time  that  the  introduction  of  such  a 
clause  might  risk  the  passing  of  the  original 
Bill,  and  that  it  would  on  the  whole  be  a 
safer  course,  if  a  separate  Bill  were  brought 
in  for  that  purpose ;  which  was  afterwards 
done  by  Sir  William  Scott,  though  without 
success ;  for  so  many  objections  were  made 
from  various  quarters,  and  such  unforeseen 
difficulties  arose  in  the  prosecution  of  the 
measure,  that  he  at  length  determined  not  to 
proceed  with  it  further.  This  to  the  Bishop 
was  a  mortifying  and  severe  disappoint- 
ment :  but  yet  with  such  an  object  in  view — 
an  object,  as  he  considered  it,  strictly  conso- 
nant with  every  principle  of  justice,  and  es- 
sentially involving  the  best  interests  of  reli- 
gion— he  was  not  discouraged,  as  I  shall  soon 
have  occasion  to  state,  from  making  another 
effort  to  carry  it  into  effect, 


BISHOP  POKTEl 'js.  137 

In  the  mean  time,  a  question  of  considera- 
ble importance  to  the  London  Clergy  enga- 
much  of  his  attention,  and  it  was,  I  be- 
lieve, in  no  small  degree  owing  to  his  exer- 
tions, that  it  finally  succeeded.  The  cir- 
cumstances, in  which  it  originated,  were 
shortly  these.  In  consequence  of  the  fire  of 
London  in  1666,  eighty-five  churches  were 
destroyed  :  of  these,  fifty-one  were  rebuilt, 
.and  the  eighty-five  parishes  were  also  re- 
duced to  the  same  number.  Instead  how- 
•ever  of  the  maintenance  of  the  clergy  being 
regulated,  as  before,  by  a  rate  increasing 
with  the  increase  of  property  and  the 
augmented  expense  of  living,  an  Act  of 
Charles  the  Second,  commonly  called  the 
Fire  Act)  limited  their  incomes  to  certain, 
fixed  sums,  the  largest  of  which  did  not  ex- 
ceed 200/.  per  annum.  This,  though  at  the 
lime  it  was  considered,  and  perhaps  might 
be,  an  adequate  provision,  became  soon  a 
very  insufficient  one ;  and,  in  fact,  exactly 
in  proportion  as  their  parishioners  grew 
rich,  the  incumbents  became  less  capable  of 
supporting  themselves  with  that  decency 
and  respectability,  which,  especially  in  a 
large  commercial  city,  their  stations  requir- 


133  LfFE    OF 

ed.  But,  in  a  peculiar  degree  in  the  pre- 
sent times,  when  from  various  causes  the 
price  of  all  the  necessaries  of  life  has  been 
so  enormously  advanced,  the  inadequacy  of 
such  a  maintenance  was  felt  with  such  seve- 
rity, as  to  render  it  absolutely  necessary  to 
call  in  the  aid  of  the  Legislature :  and  it 
\vas-  therefore  the  object  of  the  Bill,  then 
proposed  by  the  Bishop,  to  improve,  on  the 
authority  of  Parliament,  all  the  livings  under 
die  Act  of  Charles,  by  an  increased  rate  up- 
on property.  This,  however,  though  call- 
ed for  equally  by  justice  and  necessity,  was 
strongly  opposed  ;  chiefly  on  the  ground, 
that  there  was  no  consent  of  the  parties  af- 
fected by  it,  namely,  the  inhabitants  of  the 
several  parishes  where  the  augmentation  was 
to  be  made  ;  and  that  without  that  consent 
it  would  be  an  unreasonable  and  unjust  inva- 
sion of  private  property.  But  it  was  answer- 
ed, and  amongst  others,  with  great  impre3- 
bion,  by  the  Bishop,  that  the  Bill  had  then 
been  eighteen  months  in  agitation,  during 
which  period  no  petition  against  it  of  any 
kind  had  been  received  from  any  one  of 
the  parishes  ;  a  circumstance,  he  observed, 
which  ought  surely  to  be  considered  as  an-ac- 


BISHOP   FORTktS.  139 

quiescence  on  their  part,  implied  though  not 
expressed,  and,  as  in  fact  it  was,  a  tacit  con- 
sent to  the  measure.     This  reasoning  was 
considered    sufficient,   and   the  Bill  passed 
without  further  opposition.     "  Thus,"  ho 
says,  "  after  a  long  delay,  and  difficulties  of 
various  kinds,  was  a  most  important  mea- 
sure brought  to  an  issue  ;  the  London  Cler- 
gy were  highly  gratified  by  it,  and  express- 
eel  themselves  much   obliged  by  the   exer- 
tions I  had  made.     It  was  indeed  an  object, 
in  which  I  felt  most  deeply  interested,  and 
its   success  has  given  me  heartfelt  satisfac- 
tion :  for  it  has  not  only  procured  a  consi- 
derable addition  of  income  to  fifty  of  the  Lon- 
don Incumbents,  but  has  also,  I  hope,  in  its 
principle,  laid  a  foundation  for  a  future  aug- 
mentation of  their  benefices,  whenever  par- 
ticular emergencies  may  render  it  necessary ; 
and  from  what  fell  from  several  Noble  Lords' 
in  the  course  of  the  debate,  I  cannot  help  flat- 
tering myself,  that  it  may  ultimately  lead  the 
way  to  a  reasonable  increase  of  all  the  poorer 
livings  throughout  England  and  Wales." 

In  the  winter  of  the  following  year,  1805, 
Bishop,  with  that  unceasing  attention 

iich  he  paid,  in  every  thing,  to  the  great 


140  LIFE   OF 

concerns  of  religion,  took  considerable  pains 
to  suppress  a  custom,  which  he  justly  con- 
sidered, in  common  with  many  others,  as  a 
most  glaring  violation  of  public  decency, 
and  which  was  evidently  gaining  ground  in 
the  fashionable  world  ;  namely,  that  of  Sun- 
clay  Concerts  at  private  houses  by  profes- 
sional performers,  at  which  large  numbers 
were  assembled,  and  much  disturbance  cre- 
ated on  the  evening  of  that  sacred  day.  This 
was  a  profanation,  which  in  his  high  respon- 
sible station,  as  Diocesan  of  the  Metropolis, 
it  was  his  duty,  if  possible,  to  prevent ;  and 
accordingly  with  this  view  he  separately  ad- 
dressed the  following  letter  to  three  ladies  of 
high  rank  in  society,  who,  by  opening  their 
houses  for  these  musical  exhibitions,  had 
contributed  principally  to  their  introduction. 
"  Although  I  have  not  the  honour  of  be- 
ing personally  known  to  your  Ladyship,  you 
will,  I  hope,  allow  me  to  take  up  a  few  mo- 
ments of  your  time  on  a  subject  which  ap- 
pears to  me  of  the  highest  importance  to  the 
interests  of  religion,  more  especially  in  this 
great  Metropolis,  of  which  providence  has 
been  pleased  to  constitute  me  the  spiritual 
guardian  and  superintendant. 


BISHOP   PORTEtTS.  141 

k<  Your  Ladyship,  if  I  am  not  misinform- 
ed, is  one  among  other  ladies  of  high  rank 
and  distinction  in  this  town,  who  are  in  the 
habit  of  having  concerts  at  their  own  houses 
on  Sunday  evenings,  where  there  are  hired 
professional  performers,  and  a  large  number 
of  persons  of  fashion  assembled  together  to 
partake  of  the  entertainment.  It  is  very 
possible  your  Ladyship  may  be  of  opinion, 
that  there  is  no  kind  of  impropriety  in  this 
sort  of  amusement  on  the  evening  of  the  Sun- 
day, after  the  Service  of  the  day  is  over,  and 
the  sacred  duties  of  it  are  fulfilled.  But 
a  little  consideration  will,  I  am  persuaded, 
convince  you  that  this  is  a  very  unfortunate 
mistake.  This  practice  is  a  direct  violation 
of  the  express  injunction  of  God  himself;  it 
is  an  infringement  of  that  rest ,  which  in  the 
fourth  Commandment  we  are  enjoined  to  ob- 
serve on  the  Sabbath  ;  of  that  respite  from 
toil  and  labour  of  every  kind,  which  we  are 
directed  to  give  to  our  servants,  and  our  cat- 
tle, throughout  the  whole  of  this  sacred  day. 
Besides  this,  it  evidently  tends  to  efface,  or 
at  least  to  weaken  greatly,  those  useful  im- 
pressions which  may  have  been  made  upon 
our  minds,  and  upon  those  of  our  children 


142  LIFEOE 

and  servants,  in  the  offices  of  public  wor- 
ship, or  in  our  private  meditations  and  devo- 
tions ;  and  it  mingles  too  much  of  the  gaie- 
ties and  the  pleasures  of  this  world  with 
those  serious  thoughts  of  another,  which  thig 
day  was  peculiarly  intended  to  excite  and 
to  cherish  in  our  hearts. 

"  Allow  me  also  to  add,  Madam,  that  the 
laws  of  this  kingdom  expressly  prohibit  all 
public  diversions  on  the  Lord's  Day,  and  I 
entreat  your  Ladyship,  to  consider,  whether 
the  Sunday  evening  concerts  do  not  in  eve- 
ry respect  resemble  a  public  diversion,  ex- 
cept that  they  are  given  in  a  private  house, 
instead  of  a  Theatre,  or  an  Opera  House, 
This  does  not  escape  the  observation  of  the 
lower  orders  of  the  people,  who,  when  they 
see  the  crowded  doors  and  splendid  assem- 
blies of  the  wealthy  and  the  great  on  the 
Lord's  Day,  are  apt  to  express  (as  I  happen 
to  know  from  good  information)  much  dissa- 
tisfaction and  most  discontent  at  the  grating 
difference. 

"  I  am  aware,  that  in  Roman  Catholic 
countries  on  the  Continent,  both  public  and 
private  amusements  are  permitted  on  the 
Sunday  evening.  But  your  Ladyship  will. 


BISHOP  TORTP.rs.  143 

1  am  sure,  agree  with  me  in  thinking,  that 
is  not  exactly  the  precedent  which  a  Protes- 
tant country  ought  to  follow.     In  fact,  it  is 
well  known,  that  for  a  long  course  of  years 
the  Church  of  England  has  been  distinguish- 
ed from  the   Church  of  Rome,   not  only  by 
its  doctrine,  its  discipline,  and  its  purer  mode 
of  worship,   but  also  by  the  decency,  the 
propriety,    the  solemnity,    with  which   the 
Christian  Sabbath  has  been  usually  observ- 
ed.    It  is  a  distinction,  Madam,  which  does 
us  honour  ;  which   is  altogether  worthy  of 
the  first  Protestant  Church  in  the  world  ; 
and  it  is  of  the  very  last  importance,  that  we 
should  always  preserve  inviolate  this  glorious 
pre-eminence  amongst  the  nations  of  Europe. 
It  is  my  decided  opinion,  that  on  the  due  ob- 
servance of  the  Lord's  Day,  according  to  the 
antient  and  venerable   usage  of  our  ances- 
tors,  depends  in  a  great  measure  the  very 
existence  of  Christianity  in  this  kingdom. 

•"  When  we  look  around  us  in  this  im- 
mense Capital,  and  observe  how  every  day 
of  the  week,  and  almost  every  hour  of  the 
day,  is  occupied  with  one  scene  of  gaiety  or 
other,  one  would  imagine  there  could  be  no 
very  pressing  necessity  for  intrenching  on  the 


14-i  LIFE   OP 

repose  of  the  Sabbath;  one  would  think, 
that  six  days  out  of  the  seven  would  be  suffi- 
cient for  the  purposes  of  amusement,  an4 
that  one  day  of  rest  and  tranquillity  in 
the  week,  would  be  to  all  persons  a  welcome 
Sabbath,  a  desirable  pause,  a  relief  from  the 
incessant  toil  of  diversion  and  of  pleasure. 

"  But  let  me  not,  Madam,  be  misunder- 
stood. I  am  no  friend  to  a  pharisaical  or  pu- 
ritanical observance  of  the  Lord's  Day.  I 
do  not  contend,  that  it  should  be  either  to 
the  poor,  or  to  the  rich,  or  to  any  other  hu- 
man being  whatever,  a  day  of  gloom  and 
melancholy,  a  day  of  superstitious  rigour,  a 
day  of  absolute  exclusion  from  all  society. 
No,  it  is  on  the  contrary  a  festival,  a  joyful 
festival,  to  which  we  ought  always  to  look 
forward  with  delight,  and  enjoy  with  a  thank- 
ful and  a  grateful  heart.  It  is  only  to  those 
amusements,  which  partake  of  the  nature 
and  complexion  of  public  diversions,  on  the 
Lord's  Day,  that  I  object;  to  large  assem- 
blies, for  instance,  and  large  concerts  con- 
sisting of  hired  performers,  where  numer- 
ous parties  are  collected  together,  occasioning 
a  great  concourse  of  servants  in  one  place, 
employing  them  at  a  time  when  they  have  a 


BISHOP 


right  to  ease  and  rest,  and  producing  much 
of  that  noise  and  tumult  in  the  public  streets 
which  are  so  opposite  to  the  peaceful  tran- 
quillity that  should  prevail  on  that  day — a 
day  which  the  Almighty  himself  has  distin- 
guished with  a  peculiar  mark  of  sanctity, 
and  which  he  claims  as  his  own.  It  is  against 
these  open  infractions  of  the  Lord's  Day, 
that  I  think  it  my  duty  to  remonstrate.  But 
in  hearing  sacred  music  on  the  Sunday  eve- 
ning,  confined  to  a  small  domestic  circle  of 
relations  and  friends,  without  any  hired  per- 
formers,  I  am  so  far  from  seeing  any  impro- 
priety, that  it  appears  to  me  a  relaxation 
well  suited  to  the  nature  of  a  Christian  Sab. 
bath,  perfectly  congenial  to  the  spirit  of  out 
religion,  and  calculated  to  raise  our  minds  to 
heavenly  thoughts,  and  sublime  and  holy  con- 
templations. 

"  Your  Ladyship  will,  I  hope,  do  me  the 
justice  to  believe,  that,  in  addressing  these 
lines  to  you,  I  meant  not  to  intrude  myself 
needlessly  on  your  notice,  much  less  to  give 
you  the  slightest  offence  ;  but  merely  to  dis- 
charge a  very  important  duty  resulting  from 
that  most  respons  ible  situation,  in  which  it 
has  pleased  God  to  place  me.  And  I  cannot 


143  LIFE  OP 

help  flattering  myself,  that  when  your  Lady- 
ship reflects  a  little  on  the  arguments  I  have 
offered  to  your  consideration,  you  will  see 
reason  to  relinquish  (and  even  recommend  it 
to  your  friends  to  relinquish)  a  practice, 
which  you  probably  took  up  from  mere  want 
of  attention  to  the  subject,  and  from  not  be- 
ing aware  of  the  mischievous  consequences 
resulting  from  it. 

"  Should  you  come  to  this  determination 
I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying,  that  you  will 
add  greatly  to  that  respect,  which  is  so  just- 
ly due  to  your  high  rank  and  station  :  you 
will  do  a  most  essential  service  to  the  holy 
religion  we  profess ;  and  you  will  store  up 
a  reflection  in  your  own  mind,  which  will  af- 
ford you  the  most  substantial  comfort  and 
support,  at  a  moment,  when  all  the  splendour 
and  gaiety  of  the  world  will  fade  before  your 
eyes  and  vanish  into  nothing." 

Upon  this  admirable  letter  it  would  be  su- 
perfluous to  make  a  single  comment.  So 
much  rational,  yet  fervent  piety  ;  so  much 
earnestness  in  the  cause  of  virtue ;  so  much 
anxiety  to  promote  the  best  interests  of  man, 
could  hardly  plead  in  vain;  and  it  did  not. 
He  received  assurances,  that  the  practice,  of 


POP.TTU5.  147 

which  he  complained,  should,  if  not  imme- 
diately, at  all  events  the  following  year,  be 
discontinued :  and  I  feel  persuaded  that  a 
promise  thus  solemnly  made  and  hitherto 
observed,  will  not  be  forgotten,  "  Though 
dead,  he  yet  speaketh  r'  and  it  is  in  the  hope 
that  the  sentiments  he  expressed  on  this  oc* 
casion,  may  still  operate  as  a  powerful  check 
on  the  licentiousness  of  public  manners,  and 
be  the  means  of  fixing,  on  the  minds  of  ma- 
-eriousa  impressions,  that  I 

have  thought  it  my  duty  to  leave  his  letter 
cm  record. 

In  the  interesting  and  important  disc 
sioiis,  which   took    place   in  Parliament  in 
1805,  on  the  great    question  of    Catholic 
Emancipation,  when  it   was   rejected  by  a 
large  majority,  he  abstained  from  any  public 
expression  of  his  sentiments;  but,  though 
he  contented  himself  with  giving  only  a 
lent  vote,  he  gave  it,  as  the  following  state- 
ment in  his  own  words  will  shew,  after  much 
deliberation,  and  with  a  perfect  comiction 
of  its  being  a  right  one.     "  If,"  he  obser 
"  the  Petition  from  the  Catholics  of  Ireland 
bad  been  for  a  more  complete  toleratic 


148  LIFE  OF 

matters  of  religion,  though  it  can  hardly,  1 
think,  be  more  complete  than  it  is,  there  was 
not  an  individual  in  the  House  that  would 
have  given  a  more  hearty  and  cordial  assent 
to  the  prayer  of  the  petition  than  myself.  I 
am  and  ever  have  been  a  decided  friend  to 
liberty  of  conscience,  and  a  full  and  free  to- 
leration of  all  who  differ  in  religious  opinions 
from  the  Established  Church.  It  is  a  sen- 
timent perfectly  consonant  with  the  spirit  of 
the  Gospel,  the  principles  of  the  Church  of 
England,  and  every  dictate  of  justice  and 
humanity.  It  is  a  sentiment  deeply  engra- 
ven on  my  heart,  by  which  I  have  ever  regu- 
lated, and  hope  I  ever  shall  regulate  my  con- 
duct. But  this  was  not  an  application  for 
liberty  of  conscience,  and  freedom  of  reli- 
gious opinion  and  religious  worship.  The 
truth  is,  it  is  an  application  for  political 
power;  and  that  power  I,  for  one,  am  not 
disposed  to  grant  them  :  because,  I  believe 
that  it  would  be  difficult  to  produce  a  single 
instance,  where  they  have  possessed  political 
power  in  a  Protestant  country,  without  using 
it  cruelly  and  tyrannically.  And  this  indeed 
follows  necessarily  from  the  very  doctrines 
of  their  church,  several  of  which  are  well 


BISfcOP  PORTEUS.  149 

known  to  be  hostile  not  only  to  the  Protes- 
tant Religion,  but  to  a  Protestant  Govern- 
ment. It  has  been  said,  indeed,  that  these 
are  not  now  the  tenets  of  the  Church  of 
Rome ;  that  they  may  be  found  perhaps  '  in 
some  old  musty  records,'  but  that  they  are 
now  grown  obsolete  and  invalid,  and  are  held 
in  utter  detestation  by  the  whole  body  of  Ro- 
man Catholics  both  in  England  and  Ireland. 
But  those  *  musty  records,'  in  which  these 
doctrines  appear,  are  nothing  less  than  the 
decrees  of  general  councils  confirmed  by  the 
pope ;  and  Dr.  Troy,  Titular  Archbishop  of 
Dublin,  in  his  pastoral  instructions  to  the 
Roman  Catholics  of  his  diocese,  published 
in  1793,  tells  his  flock  that  *  they  must  ad- 
here implicitly  to  decrees  and  canons  of  the 
church  assembled  in  general  councils  and 
confirmed  by  the  pope;'  and  the  celebrated 
lay  Roman  Catholic  writer,  Mr.  Plowden, 
in  his4 Case  stated,5  published  in  1791,  main- 
tains the  same  doctrine,  and  the  infallibility 
of  general  councils.  These  therefore  are 
unquestionably  at  this  day  the  tenets  of  their 
church ;  they  have  never  been  renounced  or 
disavowed ;  and  till  they  are  so  disavowed 
N  2 


150  LIFE    OF 

by  authority,  every  good  Catholic  is  bound 
to  obey  them. 

4 '  It  is  true,  that  they  have  been  renoun- 
ced by  the  Petitioners  from  Ireland :  but 
they  can  renounce  them  only  for  themselves ; 
they  cannot  renounce  them  for  the  whole  bo- 
dy of  Catholics  in  that  country  ;  and  this 
renunciation  besides  comes  unaccompanied 
by  any  competent  authority.  It  is  neither 
authorized  by  the  pope,  by  a  general  coun- 
cil, by  their  bishops  or  by  their  clergy.  On 
the  contrary,  it  is  very  remarkable,  that  not 
one  of  the  latter  signed  the  Petition ;  and 
one  cannot  therefore  help  fearing  that  the 
.same  thing  may  happen  in  this  case  that  hap- 
pened in  1793,  when  the  Lords  Petre,  Stour- 
ton,  and  many  other  Roman  Catholic  gen- 
tlemen, on  applying  to  Parliament  for  fur- 
ther indulgence,  made  the  same  renunciation 
of  the  same  obnoxious  doctrines,  that  ap- 
pears in  the  Irish  Petition.  The  Church  of 
Rome  immediately  took  the  alarm,  and  an- 
nounced their  entire  disapprobation  of  that 
measure  by  her  Apostolical  Vicar  in  Eng-r 
land,  who  wrote  an  energetic  letter  to  those 
gentlemen,  condemning  what  they  had  done; 
and  that  condemnation  was  sanctioned  by 


BISHOP   rORTEUS.  1"51 

tlie  pope,  and  by  all  the  Catholic  bishops  in 
this  countiy  and  in  Scotland. 

"But,  laying  these  doctrines  out  of  the 
question,  there  is  one  certainly,  which  the 
Petitioners  have  not  renounced,  and  indeed 
cannot  renounce,  namely,  the  supremacy  of 
the  pope — the  acknowledgement  of  a  foreign 
jurisdiction.  It  is  contended,  indeed,  that 
this  jurisdiction  is  only  a  spiritual  one  :  but 
the  jurisdiction  of  a  foreign  Catholic  poten- 
tate of  any  kind  "whatsoever  must  always  be 
a  dangerous  thing  in  a  Protestant  country  ; 
and  at  this  time  it  is  particularly  so,  consi- 
dering the  present  abject  state  of  the  Roman 
Pontiff,  and  his  absolute  vassalage  to  the  em- 
peror of  France.  This  argument  has,  I 
know,  been  considered  of  little  moment,  and 
treated  with  little  respect*:  but  in  my  appre- 
hension it  is  a  most  important  and  alarming 
circumstance.  A  spiritual  authority  can  ne- 
ver be  wholly  separated  from  a  temporal  one. 
An  unbounded  influence  over  the  hearts  and 
consciences  of  men  in  spiritual  matters, 
must  necessarily  be  attended  with  great  in- 
fluence in  civil  and  political  concerns  :  and 
when  we  consider,  that  the  Romish  clergy  of 
Ireland  have  an  almost  absolute  command 


152  LIFE   OF 

over  their  flocks  ;  that  the  clergy  are  appoin- 
ted by  the  bishops ;  that  the  bishops  are  no- 
minated by  the  pope  ;  and  that  the  Pope  is 
now  a  mere  tool  in  the  hands  of  the  French 
Emperor  ;  it  is  easy  to  see  what  power  this 
must  give  him  over  the  people  of  Ireland, 
and  in  how  formidable  a  manner,  at  the  pre- 
sent perilous  and  awful  crisis,  that  power  may 
be  exerted. 

"  But  besides  this,  it  appears  from  the 
history  of  this  kingdom,  that  in  fact  Roman 
Catholics  and  Protestants  have  never  yet 
agreed  together  in  administering  the  powers 
of  government ;  and  that  England  never  en- 
joyed peace  and  security,  till  the  ascendancy 
of  one  party  was  established  by  the  downfall 
of  the  other.  Where  the  power  of  the  Ca- 
tholics and  Protestants  was  nearly  equal,  it 
was  a  constant  struggle  for  superiority.  The 
Corporation  and  Test  Acts  put  a  final  period 
to  that  struggle.  Since  those  acts  passed, 
the  Church  of  England  has  enjoyed  perfect 
security  and  tranquillity.  Let  us  not,  then , 
part  with  these  bulwarks  of  our  Constitution 
civil  and  ecclesiastical,  which  we  must  do, 
if  we  grant  to  the  Catholics  of  Ireland  (and 
of  course  to  those  of  England)  all  that  they 


BI&HOP  PORTEUS.  15v3 

demand.     Let  us  preserve  with  care  that  ad- 
mirable Constitution,   which  our  Ancestors 
have  bequeathed  to  us  ;  namely,  the  Estab- 
lished Church  under  the  protection  of  the 
State,  with  a  toleration  to  all  other  religious 
sects  and  denominations  whatever,  but  at  the 
same  time  an  exclusion  of  them  by  proper 
tests  from  all  places  of  trust,  authority  and 
power.     This  is  the  only  system,   that  can 
give  stability  and  peace  to  any  kingdom, 
where  there  are  different  sorts  of  religion. 
It  has  given  stability  and  peace  to  this  king- 
dom.  It  has  been  found  by  experience,  which 
is  better  than  a  thousand  theories,  to  be  the 
soundest  policy.     It  has    left  us  quiet  for 
above  an  hundred  years;  and  it  would  be  the 
highest  imprudence  to  throw  away  this  our 
best  safeguard,  for  visionary  projects  of  in- 
novation and  improvement  in  our  Civil  and 
Ecclesiastical  Establishment." 

Such  were  the  grounds,  which  determin- 
ed the  Bishop's  vote  on  the  important  ques- 
tion of  Catholic  Emancipation.  It  was  evi- 
dently in  him  not  the  result  of  bigofry; 
not  the  ebullition  of  a  narrow  and  contract- 
ed spirit.  He  had  taken  a  wide,  dispassion- 
ate, deliberate  view  of  the  whole  subject; 


154  LIFE   OF 

and  in  resisting  the  Petition,  he  acted  on  the 
conscientious  persuasion  of  his  own  mind, 
that  to  grant  it  in  any  shape  would  be  in- 
compatible with  the  peace  and  security  of 
the  Empire. 

It  is  well  known  that  an  excellent  and  ven- 
erable Society  has  been  long  established  un- 
der the  title  of  "  The  Society  for  promoting 
Christian  Knowledge"  which,  with  a  zeal 
and  ardour  proportioned  to  its  name  and  pur- 
pose, has  been  indefatigably  employed  in 
disseminating  moral  and  religious  truth 
amongst  the  people  of  this  country;  and  by 
the  labours  of  its  Missionaries  abroad,  dif- 
fusing the  doctrines  of  the  Gospel  among 
Pagan  nations.  A  Society  actuated  by  such 
views,  and  conducted,  as  it  always  has  been, 
on  the  best  and  soundest  principles,  claimed 
in  a  pre-eminent  degree  the  regard  and  sup- 
port of  the  Established  Church  ;  and  par- 
ticularly of  those  members  of  it,  who,  from 
the'r  exalted  stations,  were  most  able  to  ad- 
vance its  interests  and  uphold  its  reputation. 
Amongst  these,  I  will  take  upon  myself  to 
affirm,  the  Society  had  not  a  more  zealous, 
cordial  and  determined  friend  than  the  late 
Bishop  of  London.  He  was  attached  to  it 


BISHOP   PORTEUS.  155 

from  every  motive  of  private  opinion  and 
of  public  duty.  The  main  objects,  which  it 
had  in  view,  were  those  nearest  to  his  heart ; 
and  to  promote  them  all  by  practicable  means 
had  been  the  chief  employment  of  his 
thoughts,  and  the  anxious  endeavour  of  his 
whole  life.  At  the  same  time,  the  high  and 
just  estimation  in  which  he  held  this  venera- 
ble Establishment,  did  not  preclude  him 
from  supporting  other  institutions  founded 
for  the  same  great  end,  the  diffusion  of  Chris- 
tian knowledge  :  and  accordingly,  about  the 
period  to  which  I  have  brought  these  me- 
moirs, he  accepted  the  office  of  Vice- Presi- 
dent of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Soci- 
ety. The  plan  of  this  Society  embraced  a 
most  extensive  range  of  action :  and  in  or- 
der to  raise  an  adequate  fund,  it  was  thought 
necessary,  not  to  confine  it  merely  to  mem- 
bers of  the  Established  Church,  but  to  take 
in  without  exception  all  denominations  of 
Christians.  But  then,  on  the  other  hand, 
it  was  laid  down  as  a  primary  and  funda- 
mental rule,  from  which  there  was  in  no  in- 
stance to  be  the  slightest  deviation,  th-it  its 
sole  and  exclusive  object  should  be  the  cir- 
culation of  the  Scriptures,  and  the  Scrip- 
tures only  without  note  or  comment  > 


156  LIEE  OF 

A  limitation  thus  absolute  and  unequivo- 
cal, removed  from  the  Bishop's  mind  all 
doubt  and  hesitation.  He  saw  instantly  that 
a  design  of  such  magnitude,  which  aimed  at 
nothing  less,  than  the  dispersion  of  the  Bi- 
ble over  every  accessible  part  of  the  world, 
could  only  be  accomplished  by  the  associa- 
tion of  men  of  all  religious  persuasions.  He 
looked  forward  to  great  results  from  such 
a  combination  of  effort.  He  entertained  the 
hope,  that  it  might  operate  as  a  bond  of  union 
between  contending  parties :  and  that  by 
bringing  them  together  in  one  point  of  vast 
moment,  about  which  there  could  hardly  be 
a  diversity  of  opinion,  it  might  gradually  al- 
lay that  bitterness  of  dispute,  and  put  an  end 
to  those  unhappy  divisions,  which  have  so 
long  tarnished  the  credit  of  the  Christian 
world.  Whilst  therefore  he  remained  firm- 
ly attached  to  the  original  Society,  whose 
exertions,  as  far  as  its  limited  spere  allowed, 
no  one  ever  held  in  higher  estimation,  he 
gave  at  the  same  time  the  sanction  of  his 
name  without  scruple  to  the  new  one  ;  r.id 
the  more  he  considered  its  object,  and  the 
longer  experience  he  had  of  the  spirit  and 
principles  on  which  it  was  conducted,  the 


BISHOP   FGRTEUS.  157 

more  deeply  he  was  convinced,  that  it  meri- 
ted all  the  support  which  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land could  give  it.  "  It  is  now,"  he  observes, 
in  a  passage  which  strongly  marks  his  senti- 
ments, "  it  is  now  well  known  and  firmly  es- 
tablished, and  has  completely  triumphed  over 
all  the  attempts  made  to  destroy  it.  None 
of  those  secret  dark  designs,  none  of  those 
plots  and  conspiracies  to  subvert  the  Estab- 
lishment and  devour  both  the  shepherds 
and  their  flocks,  which  were  so  confidently 
predicted  by  a  certain  set  of  men  as  the  in- 
evitable effect  of  this  Society,  have  yet  been 
discovered  in  it.  It  is,  in  fact,  much  better 
employed.  It  goes  on  quietly  and  steadily 
in  the  prosecution  of  its  great  object,  and 
pays  no  sort  of  regard  to  the  sneers  and  ca- 
vils of  its  intemperate  opponents." — In  ano- 
ther passage,  written  at  a  still  later  date,  he 
says, — "  that  he  cannot  but  add  injustice  to 
this  Society,  which  has  been  so  much  op- 
posed, misrepresented  and  traduced,  that 
all  the  important  works  in  which  it  has  been 
engaged,  have  been  carried  on  with  the  ut- 
most harmony  and  unanimity;  without  any 
difference  of  opinion;  without  the  slightest 
symptom  of  any  hostile  or  treacherous  de- 


158  LIFE  O'F 

sign  against  the   Church ;  and  without  any 
other  idea  upon  their  minds,  but  that  of  ex- 
tending, as  widely  as  possible,  the  knowledge 
of  the  Christian  Scriptures.     The  Bishops 
of  Durham  and  Salisbury  attended  several 
of  their  meetings,  and  were  delighted  with 
the  decorum,    calmness  and  good    temper 
with  which  their  proceedings  were  conduc- 
ted. In  short,  all  the  apprehensions,  to  which 
this  society  has   given  rise,  are  now  found 
to  be  but  vain  terrors ;  and  all  the  prophe- 
cies of  the  mischief  and  evil,  that  would  re- 
sult from  it,  are  falsified  by  facts.     It  is 
rising  uniformly  in  reputation  and   credit; 
gaining  new  accessions  of  strength  and  re- 
venue; and    attaching  to    itself    more  and 
more  the  approbation  and  support  of  every 
real  friend  to  the  Church  and  to  Religion." 
It  does  not  fall  within  the  plan  and  scope 
of  these  Memoirs  to  take  a  part  in  the  con- 
troversy now  subsisting  between  the  advo- 
cates of  the  two  Societies.     I  cannot  how- 
ever avoid  expressing  my  regretr  that  such  a 
controversy  should  ever  have  taken  place  : 
but,  as  it  has  taken  place,  it  does^  I  confess, 
appear  to  me,  that  no  one  argument  has  yet 
been  advanced  against  the  Foreign  and  Bri- 


BISHOP    TOETEUS.  159 

tish  Bible  Society,  which  can  at  all  be  consi- 
dered as  proof,  that  it  has  any  secret  views 
injurious  to  the  interests  of  the  Established 
Church,  or  that  it  has  in  the  slightest  degree 
deviated  from  the  original  exclusive  purpose, 
to  which,  in  the  face  of  the  world,  it  stands 
most  solemnly  pledged.  The  charge  hither- 
to rests  upon  suspicion  and  surmise  :  and 
there  must  be  some  better  and  stronger  evi- 
dence, before  I  can  bring  myself  to  condemn 
an  Institution,  of  which  the  Bishop,  in  con- 
junction with  many  other  excellent  and  dis- 
tinguished men,  entertained  so  high  an  opin- 
ion, and  the  avowed  design  of  which  is  so 
strictly  in  unison  with  the  labours  and  the 
spirit  of  the  Christian  Ministry. 


I  have  before  mentioned  the  active  and 
lous  part  which  the  Bishop  took,  in  what- 
ever could  mitigate  the  hardships  or  improve 
the  condition  of  the  Negro  Slaves  in  our 
West-India  Colonies.  After  all,  however, 
the  object  to  which  he  had  long  most  anx- 
iously looked,  and  which  alone  could  com- 
pletely satisfy  him  on  this  subject,  was  the 
absolute  and  total  abolition  of  the  trade  it- 
self; and  this,  to  his  infinite  gratification 


160 


OF 


and  delight,  was  at  last  effected  in  1807,  by 
considerable  majorities  in  favour  of  that 
measure  in  both  Houses  of  Parliament.  His 
sentiments  and  feelings  on  this  occasion  he 
has  left  upon  record ;  and  I  should  do  great 
injustice  to  his  memory,  if  I  neglected  the 
present  occasion  of  laying-  them  before  the 
public. 

"  The  Act,"  he  says,  "  which  has  just  pas- 
sed,  has  at  length  put  a  period  in  this  coun- 
try to  the  most  inhuman  and  execrable  traf- 
fic that  ever  disgraced  the  Christian  world ; 
and  it  will  reflect  immortal  honour  on  the 
British  Parliament  and  the  British  Nation. 
For  myself  I  am  inexpressibly  thankful  to 
a  kind  Providence,  for  permitting  me  to  see 
this  great  work,  after  such  a  glorious  struggle, 
brought  to  a  conclusion.  It  has  been  for  up- 
wards of  four  and  twenty  years  the  constant 
object  of  my  thoughts;  and  it  will  be  a 
source  of  the  purest  and  most  genuine  satis- 
faction to  me  during  the  remainder  of  my 
life,  and  above  all,  at  the  final  close  of  it, 
that  I  have  had  some  share  in  promoting,  to 
the  utmost  of  my  power,  the  success  of  so 
important  and  so  righteous  a  measure.  It 
ought  to  be  remembered,  however,  injustice 


BISHOP    PORTET7S.  1 0 

to  a  most  worthy  man,  no  less  remarkable 
for  his  modesty  and  humility,  than  for  his 
learning  and  piety,  I  mean  Mr.  Granville 
Sharp,  that  the  first  publication  which  drew 
the  attention  of  this  country  to  the  horrors 
of  the  African  trade,  came  from  his  pen; 
and  that  at  his  own  expense,  and  by  his 
own  personal  exertions,  he  liberated  several 
Negroes  from  a  state  of  slavery,  who  were 
brought  over  by  their  masters  to  England, 
with  an  intention  of  carrying  them  back 
again  to  the  West  Indies* 

"  Upon  the  whole,  long  and  severe  as  this 
conflict  has  been,  the  labour  of  it  is  amply 
repaid  by  the  immense  magnitude  of  the 
benefit  obtained  by  it.  It  is  nothing  less 
than  a  total  change  in  the  condition  of  one 
quarter  of  the  habitable  globe,  containing 
many  millions  of  inhabitants ;  a  change  from 
the  lowest  abyss  of  human  misery,  to  ease, 
to  freedom,  and  to  happiness.  What  a  glo- 
rious work  for  this  country  to  have  accom- 
plished! and  what  a  contrast  is  there  between 
the  conduct  of  the  common  Enemy  of  man- 
kind, and  that  of  the  English  Government 
— the  former  desolating,  enslaving,  and  de- 
ging  with  blood  the  Continent  of  Europe 
b  2 


LIFE    OF 


— the  latter  giving  liberty,  not  merely  polL 
tical  liberty,  but  real,  substantial,  personal  li- 
berty to  the  Continent  of  Africa!* 

"  It  was  said  by  Mr.  Pitt,  that  the  Slave 
Trade  was  the  greatest  practical  evil  that  ever 
afflicted  the  human  race:  and,  if  this  be  true, 
the  annihilation  of  that  trade  is  the  greatest, 
practical  good  that  can  be  conferred  on  man  ; 
and  so  I  firmly  believe  that  it  will  prove  to 
be.  There  never  was,  I  am  persuaded,  from 
the  beginning  of  the  world  to  this  hour,  a 
sinele  instance,  in  which  so  great  a  quantity 
of  e'vil  was  ever  exterminated  from  the  earth, 
and  so  great  a  quantity  of  good  produced > 
us  by  this  one  act  of  the  British  Legislature. 
It  will  call  clown  upon  us  the  blessing  of 
millions,  not  only  now  in  existence,  but  of 
millions  yet  unborn :  and,  what  is  still  more 

*  How  perfectly  applicable  to  this  country,  with  a  few 
alight  alterations,  is  that  eloquent  eulogy  of  the  Greeks 
upon  the  Roman  people.  The  former  exclaimed  with 
ecstacy — "  Esse  aliquam  in  terris  gentem,  quaj  sua  im- 
pensa,  suo  labore  ac  periculo.  bella  gerit  pro  libertate 
aliorum ;  nee  hoc  iinitimis,  aut  propinquae  vicinitatis  ho- 
inimbus,  aut  terris  continent!  junctis  prsestet :  maria  tra- 
jiciat  ne  quod  toto  orbe  terrarum  injustum  imperium  sit, 
et  ubique  Jus,  Fas,  Lex  potentissima  sint."  Liv.  I. 
xxxiil  c.  33. 


BISHOP   PORTEUS.  16^ 

important,  it  will  draw  down  upon  our  arms 
the  blessing  of  Heaven ;  and  be  the  means  of 
securing  to  us  the  favour  of  that  Being, 
whose  hand  outstretched  in  our  defence  can 
alone  carry  us  safely  through  the  dangers 
that  surround  us! 

"  Of  the  conduct  of  Mr.  Wilber force  in 
the  prosecution  of  this  great  cause,  I  cannot 
express  my  admiration  in  adequate  terms. 
The  applause  he  received  was  such,  as  was 
scarcely  ever  before  given  to  any  man  sitting 
in  his  place  in  either  House  of  Parliament : 
but  had  it  been  even  greater  than  it  was,  he 
would  have  deserved  it  all,  for  the  unceasing 
efforts,  the  firm,  unshaken,  intrepid  perseve- 
rance, with  which  he  maintained,  and  finally 
brought  to  a  successful  issue,  the  most  glo- 
rious battle,  that  ever  was  fought  by  any  hu- 
man being." 

In  this  just  panegyric  of  the  illustrious 
Champion  of  the  Abolition,  all  men  must 
unite :  but  still  let  it  not  be  forgotten,  that  the 
Bishop  was  one  of  its  earliest  promoters  and 
most  strenuous  advocates.  Next  to  the 
great  and  paramount  concerns  of  religion,  it 
was  the  object  of  all  others  nearest  to  his 
heart.  He  never  spoke  of  it  but  with  thr 


104 


LIVE   09 


utmost  animation  and  enthusiasm.  He  spa- 
rcd  no  pains,  no  fatigue  of  body  or  mind, 
to  further  its  accomplishment.  He  not  on- 
ly expressed  his  sentiments,  on  every  occa- 
sion that  presented  itself,  publicly  and  strong- 
ly in  Parliament;  but  he  was  indefatigable, 
in  urging  all,  over  whom  he  had  any  influence 
to  conspire  and  to  co-operate  in  what  he  con- 
sidered the  general  cause  of  civilized  man. 
against  a  most  intolerable  system  of  cruelty 
and  oppression.  In  short,  the  best  years  of 
his  life,  and  all  his  talents  and  powers,  were 
applied  and  devoted  to  it ;  and,  I  believe, 
the  happiest  day,  beyond  comparison,  that 
he  ever  experienced,  was  the  day  of  its  final 
triumph. 

But,  though  he  contended  with  so  much 
"zeal  and  earnestness  for  the  abolition  of  the 
Slave  Trade,  he  resisted,  in  common  witli 
many  other  supporters  of  that  measure,  an 
injudicious  though  benevolent  attempt  which 
was  after  wards  made  to  emancipate  the  Slaves 
in  our  West-India  Colonies.  All  that  was 
safely  attainable,  had  been  attained;  and  to 
have  aimed  at  more  would  have  been  impru- 
dent and  dangerous.  At  the  same  time  he 
thought,  that,  without  proceeding  to  the 


BISHOP 


length  of  emancipation,    much    might  be 
done  towards  ameliorating  the  condition  of 
the  Slaves,  by  improving  them  in   civiliza- 
tion ;  by  habituating  them  gradually  to  mild- 
er treatment  ;  and  above  all,  by  impressing 
deeply  upon  their  rninds  the  precepts  and  the 
doctrines  of  the  Gospel.     In  the  attainment 
of  these  objects,  he  had  long  been  actively 
and  anxiously  engaged  ;  *as  the  ecclesiastical 
superintendant  of  the  Colonies,  he  had  at  va- 
rious times  and  in  the  most  earnest  manner 
pressed  the  religious  instruction  of  the  Ne- 
groes on  the  Governors  and  Proprietors  of 
the  different  Islands  ;  and  one  of  the  last  acts 
of  his  life  was  to  address  to  them  a  public 
letter,  written,  considering  his  advanced  age, 
with  uncommon  spirit  and  energy,  in  which 
he    urged  the  expediency  of    establishing 
parochial  schools   on  the  admirable  system 
of  Dr.  Bell,  for  the  education  particularly 
of  the  Children  of  the  Slaves  in  the  prin- 
ciples  of  Christian  knowledge.     How   far 
they  may  be  induced  to  follow  up  this  sug- 
gestion, experience  will  decide.     Duty  and 
policy  unite  in  recommending  it  to  their  ob- 
servance ;  and  I  am  induced  at  least  to  hope 
that,    in  conjunction    with  other    powerful 


I6t>  LIFE   OF 

motives,  the  respect,  which  they  cannot  but 
feel  for  the  advice  and  opinion  of  the  late 
Bishop  of  London,  on  a  subject  to  which  he 
had  devoted  so  much  consideration,  will  fi- 
nally have  its  due  weight  upon  their  minds, 

On  the  12th  of  June  1807,  the  Bishop 
had  the  satisfaction  of  being  present  at  the 
consecration  of  a  new  Chapel,  erected  at  his 
own  expense,  in  the  parish  of  Sundridge. 
During  his  residence  there  in  the  autumn 
months,  he  had  been  often  struck  with  the 
situation  and  circumstances  of  a  small  ham- 
let, called  Ide-Hill,  about  two  miles  from 
that  village.  It  stands  on  the  summit  of  the 
hilly  tract,  which  rises  gradually  from  the 
church,  and  commands  one  of  the  finest  pros- 
pects that  can  be  imagined.  The  whole  vale 
of  Tunbridge  lies  beneath ;  and  on  each  side 
the  eye  ranges  over  a  most  luxuriant  land- 
scape, exhibiting  the  wild  profusion  of  na- 
ture heightened  by  all  the  charms  of  a  rich 
and  varied  cultivation.  To  this  scene,  the 
hamlet  itself,  consisting  of  a  few  cottages 
erected  without  order  on  a  little  green,  forms 
a  highly  picturesque  and  interesting  fore- 
ground :  and  it  seemed  to  the  Bishop,  when 


BISHOP   PORTEUS.  167 

he  saw  it  first,  completely  to  realize  the  idea 
of  rural  happiness,   innocence  and  peace* 
But  upon  inquiry  he  soon  found,  that,  even 
in  this  sequestered  place,  amidst  so  much  na- 
tural beauty,  there  was  a  more  than  common 
share  of  moral  deformity  ;  that  the  poor  in- 
habitants were  in  a  state  of  the  most  deplo- 
rable ignorance  of  the  great  truths  of  Reve- 
lation ;  and  that  with  habits  of  sordid  and 
disgusting  beggary  they  were  actually  "  liv- 
ing without  God  in  the  world."     A  com- 
bination of  circumstances  so  peculiar  dwelt 
strongly  upon  his  mind;    and  as  much  of 
the  evil  seemed  to  originate  in  the  distance 
of  the  hamlet  from  the  parish  church,  and 
the  difficulty  of  attending    divine  worship, 
especially  during  the  winter,  he   undertook 
at  his  own  sole  cost  to  erect  and  to  endow 
a  Chapel  of  Ease,  where  the  duties  of  re- 
ligion might  be  regularly  performed,  and  at 
the  same  time  to  build  a  house  for  a  resi- 
dent minister.     All  this,  at  a  very  large  ex- 
pense, he  lived  to  accomplish ;  and  thus,  by 
an  act  of  benevolence,  of  which  there  are 
few  examples,  conferred  the  greatest  of  all 
human  benefits.     What  his  own  feelings 
must  have  been  on  the  day  of  the  consecra- 
tion, the  following  extract  will  best  describe, 


I6&  LIFE   Ofc 


"  On  the  morning  of  the  12th,"  he  says> 
"  the  principal  Gentry  of  the  neighbourhood, 
assembled  at  my  house,  to  attend  the  Arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury  to  the  Chapel.  The 
day  was  fine.  The  sun  shone  gloriously  on 
the  extensive  vale  below,  and  brought  out 
all  the  beauties  of  that  enchanting  prospect. 
Great  crowds  were  assembled  on  the  hill, 
and  presented  a  most  cheerful  and  animated 
scene.  It  was,  I  confess,  a  most  joyful  and 
gratifying  day  to  me  ;  and  I  thank  God  most 
devoutly  that  He  inspired  me  with  the  reso- 
lution to  undertake  the  work,  and  prolonged 
my  life  to  see  it  finished.  It  will,  I  trust, 
under  His  gracious  superintendance,  contri- 
bute materially  to  the  present  comfort  and 
future  happiness  of  some  hundreds  of  poor 
ignorant  people,  who,  from  their  remote,  and 
almost  inaccessible  situation,  and  their  dis- 
tance from  the  parish  church,  were  too  of- 
ten destitute  of  that  relief,  which  their  ex- 
treme indigence  required  in  this  life,  and  of 
that  religions  instruction,  which  was  neces- 
sary to  their  salvation  in  the  next.  The 
clergyman,  who  will  now  be  fixed  among 
them,  and  who  is  bound  to  reside  constant- 
ly in  the  parsonage  house,  will,  it  is  hoped, 


BISHOP    PORTEHS.  169 

by  his  doctrines,  his  exhortations,  and  his 
example,  be  the  means  of  remedying  these 
evils,  and  will,  both  in  their  temporal  and  their 
spiritual  concerns,  be  their  guide,  protector, 
benefactor  and  friend." 

It  is  in  my  power  to  say,  and  I  say  it  with 
genuine  satisfaction,  that  the  excellent  Minis- 
ter, who,  by  the  Bishop's  own  appointment, 
fills  the  situation,  discharges  faithfully  and 
ably  all  its  various  duties,  and  has  amply  re- 
alized his  Patron's  expectations.  Large  con- 
gregations attend  the  chapel  morning  and 
afternoon  ;  the  children  of  the  poor  are  in- 
structed ;  and  instead  of  all  that  idleness,  mi- 
sery and  vice,  by  which  the  place  was  for- 
merly distinguished,  there  is  now  the  appear- 
ance of  decency  and  comfort  and  industry 
and  religion. 

The  Summer  of  this  year  the  Bishop  spent 
at  Clifton,  near  Bristol,  for  the  benefit  of  his 
health,  which  was  then,  and  had  been  for 
some  months  before,  in  a  very  precarious 
and  declining  state.  During  his  stay  there, 
he  was  induced  by  the  peculiar  fineness  of 
the  season,  to  make  several  very  pleasant  ex- 
cursions to  the  various  places  and  scenes 
p 


170  LIFE  OF 

most  worthy  of  observation,  in  that  highly 
beautiful  and  romantic  country;  and  amongst 
other  interesting  visits  which  he  paid,  one  of 
the  most  gratifying  was  to  his"  friend  Mrs. 
Hannah  More,  who  resided  in  the  neighbour- 
hood, at  a  place  called  Barley  Wood.  Of 
the  talents  and  virtues  of  this  amiable  and  ex- 
cellent Lady,  he  had  not  only  long  entertain- 
ed, as  is  well  known,  the  highest  opinion,  but 
had  taken  pains  toicxpress  it  in  the  strong- 
est terms ;  and  indeed  her  writings  have  been 
so  decidedly  and  extensively  useful;  their 
value  has  been  so  highly  estimated  by  the 
public ;  her  time  and  thoughts  have  been  so 
steadily  and  laboriously  devoted  to  the  cause 
of  religion  and  the  best  interests  of  society; 
and  she  has  done,  particularly,  such  infinite 
good  by  her  incomparable  schools  for  the  ed- 
ucation of  the  poor,  to  whose  comprehen- 
sion she  has  most  honourably  to  herself 
brought  down  the  ample  stores  of  her  own 
highly  cultivated  and  superior  understanding; 
that  it  is  hardly  possible  to  speak  of  her  in 
terms  of  adequate  respect,  gratitude,  and  ad- 
miration. 

The  Bishop  derived  undoubtedly  consid- 
erable benefit  from  the  clear,  salubrious  air 


BISHOP   PORTEUS.  171 

of  Clifton;  but  still,  though  in  some  degree 
recruited,  his  constitution  was  evidently 
much  enfeebled  and  broken.  In  the  mean 
time  his  mind  retained  its  wonted  vigour; 
and  on  his  return  to  Fulham  he  resumed  with 
undiminished  assiduity  all  the  duties  of  his 
high  station. 

Soon  after  his  arrival,  about  the  end  of 
October,  he  was  surprised  by  the  unexpec- 
ted visit  of  a  Prussian  Clergyman,  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Usko,  who  had  been  for  upwards  of 
twenty  years  Chaplain  to  the  German  Facto- 
ry at  Smyrna,  and  for  the  last  eight  to  the 
English  Factory  in  the  same  place.  This 
gentleman  had  been  introduced  to  him  be- 
fore, when  on  a  former  visit  to  England ;  and 
both  then  and  on  this  last  occasion,  he  con- 
sidered him  as  a  man  of  high  character,  and 
of  astonishing  attainments  in  the  Eastern  and 
European  languages.  A  passage,  written  at 
the  time  I  am  now  speaking  of,  very  strong 
ly  marks  his  anxious  wish  to  fix  Mr.  Usko 
in  this  country,  in  a  station  of  all  others  best 
adapted  to  his  talents. 

"  As  such  a  man,"  he  says,  "  may  throw 
much  new  light  on  those  treasures  of  Ori- 
ental MSS.  \fhich  are  now  shut  up  in  ouv 


>72  LIFE   Of 

libraries,  public  and  private,  and  especially 
in  the  British  Museum,  I  have  strongly  re- 
commended him  to  the  Trustees  of  that  na- 
tional Establishment;  and  I  shall  do  every 
thing  in  my  power  to  place  him  in  a  situa- 
tion, where  he  may  have  the  best  opportuni- 
ty of  displaying  his  prodigious  stores  of  Ori- 
ental learning  to  his  own  honour  and  advan- 
tage, as  well  as  to  the  benefit  of  the  literary 
world. " 

Unfortunately  no  vacancy  occurred,  so  as 
to  enable  the  Bishop  to  carry  into  execution 
this  judicious  intention:  but  as  he  felt  the 
utmost  solicitude  to  manifest  in  some  way  or 
other  his  respect  for  a  clergy  man,  from  whom 
he  expected  such  essential  benefit  to  the 
cause  of  Christianity;  and  as,  not  long  af- 
ter the  valuable  living  of  Orsett,  in  the  coun- 
ty of  Essex,  fell  to  his  disposal,  he  eagerly 
seized  an  opportunity,  which  might  not,  and 
in  fact  did  not,  again  occur,  and  immediate- 
ly presented  him  to  that  benefice.  It  has 
been  thought,  I  well  know,  that  he  acted  in 
this  instance  with  too  little  consideration  ; 
but  I  also  know,  that  he  did  it  in  the  warmth 
of  his  heart,  and  with  the  best  and  purest  de- 
sign of  rendering  a  most  imjfbrtant  service 


BISHOP    PORTEU9.  173 

to  the  Church  of  England.  I  trust  it  will 
soon  appear,  that  the  hope  he  so  fondly  che- 
rished, has  not  been  forgotten.  Mr.  Usko 
stands  solemnly  pledged  in  honour  and  in 
duty  to  fulfil  the  engagement  which  he  made 
with  his  deceased  and  venerable  Patron. 
The  public  look  with  no  small  anxiety  to 
some  production  illustrative  of  the  Chris- 
tian Scriptures,  and  worthy  of  his  own  supe- 
rior erudition;  and  he  cannot,  I  should  think, 
satisfy  his  own  mind,  certainly  he  will  not 
satisfy  the  expectation  which  has  been  exci- 
ted, unless  he  give  this  substantial  and  une- 
quivocal proof  of  his  gratitude  and  sincerity. 

On  the  8th  of  May  1808,  the  Bishop  en- 
tered into  his  78th  year  ;  and  it  is  remarka- 
ble, that  on  the  same  day  he  preached  his  last 
sermon  in  St.  George's  Church.  It  was  a 
discourse  on  the  following  text  from  the 
Revelation  of  St.  John: — "  Blessed  is  he 
that  readeth,  and  they  that  hear  the  words 
of  this  prophecy,  and  keep  those  things 
which  are  written  therein  :  for  the  time  is  at 
hand. ' '  During  the  four  months  that  he  had 
spent  at  Clifton,  he  had  employed  himself  in 
reading  the  Apocalypse  with  great  atten- 
p  2 


1/4 


LJKE   OF 


tion ;  and  from  the  impression  made  upon 
his  own  mind,  by  the  grand,  comprehensive 
views  of  that  sublime  and  interesting  Book, 
he  was  anxious  to  stimulate  others  to  ac- 
quaint themselves  with  its  contents,  which, 
though  undoubtedly  of  a  high  mysterious 
nature,  might,  he  conceived,  by  a  reasona- 
ble degree  of  application,  steady  persever- 
ance, and  the  assistance  of  able  and  judicious 
expositors,  be  very  well  comprehended,  at 
least  in  its  most  material  and  useful  parts,  by 
persons  of  little  learning  and  moderate  un- 
derstandings. 

This,  in  general,  was  the  object  which  he 
had  in  view ;  but  in  the  course  of  the  ser- 
mon he  adverted  particularly  to  that  part  of 
St.  John's  Revelation,  which  predicts  the 
rise,  continuance,  and  fall  of  the  Popish  and 
Mahometan  corruptions.  These,  the  best 
commentators  agree  in  opinion,  were  to  com- 
mence in  the  sixth  century,  and  at  the  expi- 
ration of  1260  years,  calculated  from  that 
period,  were  finally  to  cease.  There  remain- 
ed, then,  as  the  Bishop  justly  observed,  ac- 
'cording  to  the  common!)  received  interpre- 
tation, but  a  short  term  of  about  fifty  or' 
sixty  years  before  the  prophecy  would  £e 


BISHOP   PORTEUS.  1  ?.> 

fulfilled;  when  Antichrist  would  be  extirpa- 
ted from  the  earth,  and  the  Millennium,  or 
the  reign  of  Christ,  would  commence.  This 
was  accurately,  in  substance,  what  he  deli- 
vered  in  the  very  interesting  discourse  to 
which  I  allude :  but  from  the  low  tone  of 
voice  in  which  he  had  preached  it  on  the 
Ash  Wednesday  preceding  at  the  Chapel 
Royal,  some,  who  heard  him  indistinctly,  un- 
derstood him  to  say,  that  the  Day  of  Judg- 
ment would  take  place  in  sixty  years  ! 

It  was  in  consequence  of  this  strange  mis- 
apprehension, that  he  repeated  the  same  ser- 
mon at  St.  George's  Church,  when  with  a 
strength  and  firmness  of  tone,  which  reached 
every  part  of  that  large  congregation,  he 
stated  explicitly  and  distinctly,  that  he  nei- 
ther pretended  to  prophecy  nor  to  interpret 
prophecy ;  but  that  the  sentiments,  which 
he  then  expressed,  were  sanctioned  by  the 
known  recorded  opinion  of  some  of  the  ab- 
lest and  most  distinguished  Divines. 

I  believe  that  no  sermon  ever  attracted 
more  attention  than  this.  The  veneration 
universally  felt  for  his  exalted  character; 
the  general  idea,  which  prevailed,  that  this 
was  the  last  occasion  of  his  public  preach 


1 70  LIFE   OF 

ing;  the  interest,  which  his  feeble  and  ema- 
ciated form  so  powerfully  excited;  the  en- 
crgy>  with  which,  notwithstanding  his  infir- 
mities, he  delivered  many  of  those  sublime 
passages,  which  are  interspersed  through  the 
Revelations;  the  animated  picture,  which 
he  drew  of  the  unprecedented  and  porten- 
tous aspect  of  the  times;  and  the  hope, 
which  seemed  to  fill  and  elevate  his  soul,  that 
this  Country  might  possibly  be  the  chosen 
instrument  in  the  hand  of  God  to  diffuse  the 
light  of  the  Gospel  throughout  the  world,  and 
ultimately  to  accomplish  the  great  schemes  of 
Providence ;  all  these  circumstances  conspir- 
ed to  render  this  discourse  uncommonly  affect- 
ing. It  was  heard  with  a  profound  stillness, 
of  which  I  scarcely  ever  observed  a  similar 
instance ;  and  it  made,  1  trust,  a  deep  and 
lasting  impression  on  the  minds  of  the  con- 
gregation. 

Not  many  days  after  on  the  20th  of  the 
same  month,  he  pronounced  in  his  official 
capacity,  sentence  of  deprivation  on  the  RCA*. 
Francis  Stone ;  a  clergyman  of  his  diocese, 
who,  at  the  prosecution  of  tjie  King's  Ad- 
vocate, under  the  direction  of  Government, 
had  been  clearly  convicted,  in  the  Consisto- 
ry Court  of  London,  of  having  preached  and 


BISHOP    PORTEUS.  177 

after  wards  published  a  most  profane  and  blas- 
phemous sermon,  in  which,  with  a  coarsness 
and  vulgarity  of  language  altogether  unpa- 
ralleled in  modern  theological  controversy  ,he 
denied  the  grand,  essential  doctrine  of  our 
Church,  the  Divinity  of  Jesus  Christ.  The 
following  passage,  in  reference  to  this  subject 
marks  in  a  strong  point  of  view  the  Bishop's 
sentiments,  and  is  highly  honourable  to  his 
feelings. 

11  It  was  very  painful  to  me,"  he  says,  "to 
feel  myself  under  the  necessity  of  proceed- 
ing to  such  extremities.  It  was  the  first  in- 
stance of  the  kind  that  had  occurred  to  me, 
since  I  sat  upon  the  Bench ;  and  it  was  total- 
ly repugnant  to  my  wishes  to  punish  any  man 
for  mere  difference  of  opinion  in  matters  of 
religion.  But  this  was  far  from  being  the 
whole  of  the  offence  on  the  present  occasion; 
for,  besides  the  very  obnoxious  principles  ad- 
vanced in  the  sermon,  it  reviles,  and  treats 
with  the  utmost  indignity,  contempt,  and  rid- 
icule not  only  all  the  Articles  of  the  Church 
of  England,  but  the  essential,  fundamental 
doctrines  of  the  Gospel :  and  when  it  is  con- 
sidered further,  that  the  author  had  himself 
subscribed  to  the  very  doctrines  which  Ue  SQ 


178  LIFE    OF 

strongly  reprobated  and  inveighed  against, 
and  that  by  means  of  that  subscription  he 
held  a  Living  in  the  Diocese  of  London,  no 
one  surely  can  think  it  right,  that  such  a  man 
under  such  circumstances  should  be  permit- 
ted any  longer  to  retain  a  valuable  benefice  in 
that  very  Church  which  he  had  in  such  gross 
opprobrious  terms  vilified  and  insulted." 

Notwithstanding  the  Bishop's  increasing 
debility,  which  rendered  him  very  unequal 
to  any  great  exertion,  he  yet  determined  to 
make  a  last  effort  in  the  course  of  the  sum- 
mer to  carry  through  Parliament  a  Bill,  which 
he  had  long  had  much  at  heart,  for  encoura- 
ging the  residence  of  Stipendiary  Curates. 
I  have  already  mentionedthe  disappointment, 
which  he  experienced,  in  the  rejection  of 
this  measure  upon  a  former  occasion  ;  and, 
though  he  was  well  aware  that  a'  trong  op- 
position would  again  be  made  to  it,  yet  he 
would  not  have  satisfied  his  own  mind,  if  he 
had  abandoned  a  question,  as  it  seemed  to 
him,  of  the  very  last  importance,  whilst  there 
remained  a  hope  of  success.  The  objects, 
which  he  had  in  view,  were  briefly  these :  in 
the  first  place,  to  provide,  that  wherever  the 
incumbent  of  any  benefice  did  not  reside 


BISHOP   PORTKL3.  179 

himself,  there  should  be  a  resident  curate; 
— in  the  second,   where  the  annual  value  of 
the  benefice  exceeded  4007.  to  empower  the 
Bishop  to   assign  to  the  curate  one-fifth  of 
that  yearly  income,  by  which  means  his  sti- 
pend would  increase  proportionably   to  the 
value  of  the  living.     A  Bill  of  this  descrip- 
tion he  thought  absolutely    essential  to  the 
welfare  of  the   Church,  and  sanctioned  by 
every  principle  of  justice  and  expediency; 
and  in  these    sentiments  he  had    the  entire 
concurrence  of  the   Chancellor  of  the  Ex- 
chequer, Mr.  Perceval,  who  had  some  time 
before    published  a  most  able  pamphlet  on 
the  subject,  and  by  whose  energy  and  elo- 
quence it  was  carried  triumphantly  through 
the  House  of  Commons.     It  was  not  there- 
fore without  a  sanguine  expectation  of  suc- 
cess, that  he  introduced  the  Bill  into  the 
House    of  Lords.     At  its  second  reading, 
though  little  equal  to  such  an'  effort,  he  deli- 
vered his  sentiments  fully  and  clearly  on  the 
whole  measure,  and  gave,   as  he  conceived, 
satisfactory  and  conclusive  answers  to  the  ob- 
jections   which  had  been  urged  against  it. 
But  it  very  soon  appeared,  that  the  opposi- 
tion formerly  made  had  in  no  respect  subsi- 


180  LIFE    OF 

ded,  and  that  even  on  the  Bench  there  was  a 
great  difference  of  opinion.  Indeed  one  right 
reverend  Prelate  did  not  scruple  to  declare, 
that  in  his  judgment  it  was  a  measure  preg- 
nant with  mischief;  and  that  it  would  pro- 
duce nothing  but  jealousy  and  discord  in  the 
Church,  through  every  part  of  the  kingdom. 
This  unambiguous  and  peremptory  language, 
added  to  the  unfavourable  view  taken  of  the 
subject  by  the  Lord  Chancellor,  decided  the 
House:  and  the  consequence  was,  that  on 
the  third  reading,  to  the  Bishop's  infinite 
mortification  and  regret,  the  Bill  was  reject- 
ed. 

The  following  note,  subjoined  to  his 
Speech  on  this  occasion,  which  he  afterwards 
printed,  is  a  strong  proof  of  the  liberality  and 
candour  of  his  mind,  and  places  in  a  strik- 
ing point  of  view  the  objects  which  he  pro- 
posed to  himself,  and  the  motives  upon  which 
he  acted  ;  objects  and  motives,  which  those, 
who  dissented  from  him,  will  at  least  do 
him  the  justice  to  say  were  most  honoura- 
ble to  his  character. 

"  It  was  matter,"  he  observes,  "  of  ex- 
treme concern  to  me,  that  in  the  discussion 
of  this  Bill  I  found  myself  under  the  neces- 


BISHOP  PORTEUS.  i  ft  ! 

sity  of  differing  from  many  noble  Lords  and 
learned  Prelates  (some  of  them  in  the  high- 
est stations,  and  of  the  most  distinguished 
character)  for  whom  I  entertain  the  greatest 
respect  and  esteem.  But  I  beg  to  have  it  un- 
derstood, that  if  any  strong  expressions  es- 
caped me  in  the  warmth  of  debate,  I  did  not 
mean  to  cast  the  slightest  reflection  on  those 
who  opposed  the  Bill,  and  who,  I  well  know, 
opposed  it  upon  principle,  and  from  a  con- 
scientious conviction  that  it  would  not  an- 
swer the  end  proposed.  I  give  them  the 
fullest  credit  for  the  purity  of  their  motives, 
and  the  rectitude  of  their  intentions  ;  and  all 
I  have  to  ask  in  return,  is,  the  same  candid 
interpretation  of  the  part  which  I  have  taken 
and  of  the  motives  by  which  I  have  been  ac- 
tuated. 

"  I  can  with  perfect  truth  declare,  that  I 
had  not  any  other  objects  in  view,  than  those 
which  I  openly  avowed  and  professed  in  the 
outset  of  the  debate ;  namely,  the  general 
interests  of  Religion,  the  credit  of  the  Church 
of  England,  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  peo- 
ple, and  the  relief  of  a  large,  laborious,  de- 
serving, indigent  and  suffering  class  of  the  in- 
ferior Clergy :  all  which  important  ends  I 


182  LIFE   OF 

did,  and  do  still  most  sincerely  think,  this 
Bill  was  well  calculated  to  obtain.  I  had  not, 
and  could  not  possibly  have  any  other  ob- 
jects in  view  than  these.  Indeed  no  consi- 
derations of  less  moment  could  have  had 
weight  enough  to  draw  me  from  my  retreat, 
or  to  set  in  motion  those  springs  of  active  ex- 
ertion, which  age  and  indisposition  had  so 
much  weakened  and  impaired  ;  for  I  can  but 
too  closely  apply  to  myself,  with  a  small  va- 
riation, those  affecting  words  of  old  Evander; 

Mihi  tarda  gelu,  saeclisque  effoeta  seuectus 

Invidet  eloquium,  serseque  ad  fortia  vires." 

The  last  public  act,  if  I  may  so  term  it,  of 
the  Bishop's  life,  was  worthy  of  all  that  he 
had  done  before,  and  I  give  it  in  his  own 
words. 

"  I  had  for  some  time  past,'*  he  says3 
"  observed  in  several  of  the  papers  an  ac- 
count of  a  meeting,  chiefly  of  military  gen- 
tlemen, at  an  Hotel  at  the  West -cud  of  the 
Town,  which  was  regularly  announced, 
as  held  every  other  Sunday  during  the  win- 
ter season.  This  appeared  to  me,  and  to 
every  friend  to  religion,  a  needless  and  wan- 
ton profanation  of  the  Christian  Sabbath, 


BISHOP   POR-fEUS.  183 

which  by  the  laws  both  of  God  and  man  was 
set  apart  for  very  different  purposes ;  and  the 
Bishops  and  Clergy  were  severely  censured 
for  permitting  such  a  glaring  abuse  of  that 
sacred  day  to  pass  without  notice  or  reproof. 
I  determined  that  it  should  not ;  and  there- 
fore thought  it  best  to  go  at  once  to  the  foun- 
tain-head, to  the  person  of  the  highest  and 
principal  influence  in  the  meeting,  The  Prince 
of  Wales.  I  accordingly  requested  the  hon- 
our of  an  audience,  and  a  personal  conference 
with  him  on  this  subject.  He  very  gracious- 
ly granted  it;  and  I  had  a  conversation  with 
him  of  more  than  half  an  hour.  He  enter- 
ed immediately  into  my  views,  and  confessed 
that  he  saw  no  reasons  for  holding  the  meet  - 
ing  on  Sundays,  more  than  on  any  other 
day  of  the  week ;  and  he  voluntarily  propo- 
sed that  the  day  should  be  changed  from 
Sunday  to  Saturday,  for  which  he  said  that 
he  should  give  immediate  orders. 

"  Thus  auspiciously  ended  this  interview; 
and  during  the  whole  time,  I  was  charmed 
with  his  fine,  open,  manly  countenance,  the 
peculiar  mildness  and  gentleness  of  his  man- 
ner,  the  elegance  of  his  language,  and  the 
clearness  and  precision,  with  which  he  gave 


LIFE    0V 


me  the  history  of  the  whole  meeting."  — 
v<  Surely,"  adds  the  Bishop,  in  language,  the 
truth  of  which  will  be  universally  acknow- 
ledged, "  it  is  in  the  power  of  such  a  man,  in 
a  station  of  such  eminence,  aud  formed  as 
lie  is  to  be  the  delight  not  only  of  this  coun- 
try,  but  of  all  Europe,  so  to  win  the  public 
affection,  as  '-to  bow  the  hearts'  of  all  the 
people  of  England,  '  as  it  were  the  heart  of 
one  man!'  " 

Within  a  very  few  days  after  this  interes- 
ting occurrence  at  Carlton  House,  a  visible 
and  alarming  alteration  took  place  in  the 
Bishop's  already  shattered  and  exhausted 
frame  ;  and  it  became  evident  to  those  most 
constantly  with  him  that  nature  could  not 
much  longer  sustain  the  shock.  He  was 
himself  indeed  strongly  impressed  with  the 
conviction,  that  his  end  was  fast  approaching 
and  he  contemplated  the  event  with  all  that 
calm,  composed  resignation,  which  nothing 
can  inspire  but  a  deep  sense  of  piety,  and  a 
devout,  religious  submission  to  the  will  of 
God.  On  Thursday  the  10th  of  May,  I 
saw  him  for  the  last  time  ;  and  never  can  I 
forget  the  affecting  solemnity  of  voice  and 
look,  and  manner,  in  which  he  begged  my 


BISHOP    PORTEUS.  ^ 

most  earnest  prayers  for  his  early  and  easy 
release.  He  said  little  more  to  me,  /or  his 
mind  seemed  wholly  absorbed  in  the  near 
prospect  of  an  eternal  world.  The  follow- 
ing day  he  was  at  his  own  desire  removed  to 
Fulham  ;  and  for  a  short  time  the  change  of 
air  and  scene  appeared  to  cheer  and  exhilirate 
him.  As  he  sat  the  next  morning  in  his  li- 
brary, near  the  window,  the  brightness  of  a 
fine  spring  day  called  up  a  transient  glow  in- 
to his  countenance ;  and  he  several  times  ex- 
claimed, O,  that  glorious  Sun !  Afterwards, 
whilst  sitting  at  dinner,  he  was  seized  with 
some  slight  convulsions,  which  were  happily 
however  of  short  duration;  and  he  then  fell, 
as  it  seemed,  into  a  gentle  sleep.  It  was  the 
sleep  of  death.  From  that  time  he  never 
spoke,  and  scarcely  could  be  said  to  move. 
Without  a  pang  or  a  sigh, — by  a  transition 
so  easy,  as  only  to  be  known  by  a  pressure  of 
his  hand  upon  the  knee  of  his  servant,  who 
was  sitting  near  him, — the  spirit  of  this  great 
and  good  man  fled  from  its  earthly  mansion 
to  the  realms  of  Peace ! 

How  truly  were  his  own  prayers  accom- 
plished, thus  beautifully  expressed  many 
years  before  in  his  Poem  upon  Death  : 


186  LIFE   OF 

" At  Thy  good  time 

Let  djath  approach ;  I  reck  not : — let  him  come 
In  genuiue  form,  not  with  thy  vengeance  armed, 
Too  much  for  man  to  bear.     O  !  rather  lend 
Thy  kindly  aid  to  mitigate  his  stroke. 
Then  shed  thy  comforts  o'er  me;  then  put  on 
The  gentlest  of  thy  looks ;  then  deign  to  cheer 
My  fainting  heart  with  the  consoling  hope 
Of  Mercy,  Mercy,  at  thy  hands ! — And  Thou, 
'Whom  soft-eyed  Pity  once  let  down  from  Heaven 
To  bleed  for  Man,  to  teach  him  how  to  live, 
And,  O,  still  harder  lesson !  how  to  die ; 
Disdain  not  thou  to  smooth  the  restless  bed 
Of  sickness  and  of  pain.     Forgive  the  tear 
That  feeble  Nature  drops ;  calm  all  her  fears ; 
Fix  her  firm  trust  on  thy  triumphant  Cross, 
Wake  all  her  hopes,  and  animate  her  Faith ; 
Till  my  rapt  Soul,  anticipating  Heaven, 
Bursts  from  the  thraldom  of  incumb'ring  clay, 
And,  on  the  wing  of  ecstacy  upborne, 
Springs  into  Liberty  and  Light  and  Life." 

In  obedience  to  express  directions,  which 
lie  left  in  writing,  he  was  removed  to  Sun- 
dridge,  and  there  interred  in  a  vault,  in  the 
church-yard,  which  he  had  some  time  before 
caused  to  be  erected.  The  Inscription  on 
the  tomb  simply  records,  in  compliance  with 
his  own  wish,  the  dates  of  his  birth  and  death; 
the  former,  on  the  8th  of  May  1731;  the 
latter,  on  the  13th  of  May  1809. 


BISHOP   FORTEUS.  137 

The  Executors  to  the  Bishop's  Will  were 
his  old  and  much  valued  friends,  the  Bishops 
of  Durham  and  Lincoln,  and  his  nephew, 
Mr.  Thomas  Porteus:  and,  in  addition  to 
various  kind  remembrances  to  different  parts 
of  his  family,  the  following  are  the  principal 
Bequests  : 

TO  the  Rector  of  St.  James's  Westminster,  to  be  dis- 
tributed by  him  at  his  discretion  amongst  the  deserving 
Poor  of  that  Parish,  within  three  months  after  his  de- 
cease, 100/. 

To  the  Vicar  of  Fulham,  in  Middlesex,  to  be  distri- 
buted by  him  in  the  same  manner,  and  within  the  same 
time,  100Z. 

To  the  Rector  of  Hunton,  in  Kent,  to  be  distributed 
by  him  in  the  same  manner,  and  within  the  same  time. 
50/. 

To  the  Rector  of  Sundridge,  in  Kent,  to  be  distribu- 
ted by  him  in  the  same  manner,  and  within  the  same 
time,  50Z. 

To  each  of  his  Executors,  100/. 
To  his  dear  and  pleasant  friend  Mrs.  Kennicott*, 
500/.  Stock,  in  the  3  per  Cents. 


*  The  regard,  which  the  Bishop  entertained  for  this 
amiable  and  excellent  Lady,  is  well  known.  For  many 
years  she  paid  him  an  annual  visit  ;  and  he  Avas  always 
charmed  by  that  power  of  cheerful,  animated,  impror- 


138  LIFE    OF 

To  his  excellent  friend  Mrs.  Hannah  More,  of  Bai- 
ley Wood,  in  the  county  of  Somerset,  200/.  Stock  in  the 
3  per  Cents. 

He  also  bequeaths,  after  Mrs.  Porteus's 
death  (to  whom  he  leaves,  as  it  was  his  anx- 
ious wish  to  do,  and  as  indeed  by  her  exem- 
plary piety,  her  amiable  manners,  and  her  af- 
fectionate unceasing  attention  to  him,  she 
well  deserved*,  a  most  comfortable  and  li- 
beral provision,)  the  undermentioned  sums 
to  the  following  public  Charities : 

ing  conversation,  by  which  she  is  so  much  distinguished. 
He  had  also  the  highest  opinion  of  her  good  sense  and 
judgment  and  talents ;  and  these  qualities,  combined,  as 
they  eminently  are,  Avith  the  greatest  humility,  and  ail 
unremitted  attention  to  every  act  of  religious  duty,  pub- 
lic and  private,  could  not  fail  of  rendering  her  a  most 
welcome  and  "  pleasant"  visitor  at  Fulham. 

*  How  deeply  tlie  Bishop  himself  felt  the  truth  of 
this  observation,  may  be  collected  from  the  following  pas- 
sage, written  some  years  before  his  death :  "  To  Mrs. 
Porteus's  kind  attention  and  attachment  to  me,  I  owe," 
he  says,  "  much  of  the  comfort  and  happiness  of  my  life ; 
and  it  is  my  earnest  wish  and  intention  to  make  a  provi- 
sion for  her  after  my  decease  in  some  degree  proportion- 
ed to  her  merits,  and  to  the  situation  she  has  held  in 
life." 


BISHOP   FORTEVS.  189 

To  the  Treasurer  of  a  Society  in  London  called  or 
•ie scribed  by  the  name  of  The  Society  of  Stewards  and 
Subscribers  for  maintaining  and  educating  poor  Orphans 
of  Clergymen,  till  of  age  to  be  put  apprentice.,  for  the  gen- 
eral uses  of  that  excellent  Society  2,000/.  Stock,  3  per 
Cent?. 

To  the  Treasurer  of  the  Corporation  of  the  Sons  of 
the  Clergy,  for  the  benefit  of  the  Maiden  Daughters  of 
Clergymen  of  the  Church  of  England,  2,000/.  Stock,  3 
per  Cents. 

To  the  Treasurer  of  the  Society  for  ike  Conversion 
and  religious  Instruction  and  Education  of  the  Negro 
Slaves  in  the  British  West-India  Islands.,  for  the  general 
uses  of  that  Society,  1,0004.  Stock,  3  per  Cents. 

To  the  Treasurer  of  St.  George's  Hospital,  near  Hyde 
Park  Corner,  for  the  general  uses  of  that  Charity  1,OOOJ. 
Stock,  3  per  Cents. 

To  the  Treasurer  of  the  Middlesex  Hospital,  for  the 
general  uses  of  that  Charity,  1,000&  Stock,  3  per  Cent-. 

To  the  Treasurer  of  the  London  Hospital,  for  the  gen- 
eral uses  of  that  Charity,  1,OOOZ.  Stock,  3  per  Cents. 

To  the  Vicar  of  Fulham  for  the  time  being,  to  be  di- 
vided equally  every  year  amongst  the  twelve  poor  Wo- 
men in  the  Alms-houses  in  that  parish,  the  Interest  of 
400Z.  Stock,  3  per  Cents. 

He  also  left  to  his  Successors,  the  Bishops 
of  London,  the  pictures  of  his  Predecessors 


190  LIFE   OF 

in  that  See,  together  with  his  own  portrait 
by  Hoppner ;  his  excellent  and  extensive 
collection  of  books:  and,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  three  hundred  pounds,  applied  to  ano- 
ther purpose,  the  value,  whatever  it  might 
amount  to,  of  the  copyright  of  his  printed 
works,  as  the  commencement  of  a  fund  for 
the  erection  of  a  new  wing  for  an  episcopal 
library,  to  correspond  with  what  is  now  the 
episcopal  chapel  at  Fulham  Palace. 

The  Bishop  was  in  person  under  the  mid- 
dle size,  of  a  thin  and  slender  frame,  and  na- 
turally of  a  tender  constitution.  In  his  youth 
he  must  have  been  extremely  handsome ;  his 
features  were  of  a  superior  cast;  and,  even 
when  advanced  in  years,  he  still  retained  a 
remarkable  clearness  of  complexion.  These 
however  were  not  the  circumstances,  which 
formed  the  prominent  character  of  his  coun- 
tenance. There  was  a  mildness,  a  gentle- 
ness, an  air  of  genuine  philanthropy  about 
it,  with  which  even  indiiferent  persons  were 
always  struck ;  and  yet,  when  lighted  up  by 
the  occasion,  it  displayed  the  utmost  vivaci- 
ty and  animation.  His  smile  had  something 
in  it  uncommonly  captivating ;  and,  though 


BISHOP   PORTEUS.  '191 

he   never  lost  sight  of  that  dignity,  which 
became  his  station,  it  was  yet  a  dignity  to- 
tally  unmixed  with  pride.     He  had  the  en- 
viable talent  of  dissipating  at  once  that  feel- 
ing of  reserve  and  apprehension,  which,  in 
the  presence  of  a  superior,  is  so  often  a  bar 
to  the  freedom  and  comfort  of  social  inter- 
course, and  by  the  graciousness  of  his  manner 
placing  those  around  him  perfectly  at  ease. 
He  delighted  in  cheerful,  lively  conversation, 
and  no  one  ever  more  promoted  it,  or  per- 
haps more  excelled  in  it.     There  was  a  spi- 
rit and  playfulness  in  his  language,   which 
.gave  an  interest  even  to  the  most  ordinary 
topics;  and   on  subjects  of  graver  import, 
he  always  appeared  to  great  advantage.  His 
remarks  were  conspicuous  for  correct  taste, 
accurate  information,  and  a  sound  and  well 
regulated  judgment ;  and  he  expressed  him- 
self with  so  much  facility  and  perspicuity, 
so  much    natural  energy  and  eloquence,  as 
never  failed  to  excite  attention,  and  render  his 
society  equally  instructive  and  entertaining. 
In  estimating  his  intellectual  abilities,   I 
do  not  think,  that  profound  erudition  can  be 
ascribed  to  him.     He  had  not  the  inclina- 
tion, if  he  had  the  faculty,  to  fix  and  con- 


192  LIIE    OF 

centrate  his  thoughts  on  any  one  particular 
science.     His  imagination  was  too  active 
and  ardent  for  such  exclusive  application. 
Perhaps,  if  he  had  followed  the  natural  bent 
of  his  genius,  Poetiy  would  have  been  his 
favourite  pursuit.     He  saw  every  thing  with 
a  poet's  eye;  he  loved  to  dwell  and  expa- 
tiate on  the  wild  scenes  of  nature ;  his  fancy 
was  easily  fired,  and  his  affections  moved ; 
and  he  had  all  that  enthusiasm  of  feeling, 
which  delights  in  warm  and  glowing  des- 
cription.    As  however  he  had  other  views 
in  life,  he  very  wisely  checked  this  early 
impulse,  and  applied  himself  to  graver  studies. 
In  classical  literature,  he  held  unquestiona- 
bly no  mean  rank ;  for,  without  that  critical 
exactness  which  constitutes  the  profound 
scholar,  he  had  read  with  attention  the  best 
writers  of  antiquity,  both  Greek  and  Latin; 
entered  with  taste  and  discernment  into  their 
various  beauties;  and,  as  his  memory  was 
strong  and  retentive,   could  recall  without 
difficulty,  whatever  in  them  was  most  wor- 
thy of  being  remembered.     In  his  admira- 
ble tract,  for  instance,  on  the  Beneficial  Ef- 
fects of  Christianity,  there  is  an  appeal  to 
ancient  authorities  in  confirmation  of  his 


KfSHOP    1'ORTEL.N  193 

argument,  which  marks  an  intimate  acquain- 
tance with  Pagan  history,  and  the  books  of 
principal  credit,  from  which  any  accurate 
account  could  be  collected  of  the  manners, 
habits  and  circumstances  of  Pagan  nations. 
It  is  evident  from  that  treatise,  that  he  was 
completely  master  of  his  subject;  that  he  had 
within  his  grasp  whatever  could  illustrate 
and  enforce  it ;  and  that  by  a  full  and  ample 
statement  of  well  authenticated  facts  he  has 
unanswerably  proved  his  position. 

In  regard  to  Theological  attainment,  there 
have  undoubtedly  been,  and  there  are  un- 
doubtedly now  in  the  world,  men  of  wider 
research,  more  critical  precision,  and  more 
copious  and  extensive  learning.  But  still, 
generally  speaking,  he  must  be  considered 
even  in  these  respects  to  have  ranked  high 
in  his  profession.  His  knowledge  of  He- 
brew literature,  though  he  never  made  any 
display  of  it ,  was  by  no  means  inconsidera  - 
ble.  He  was  well  versed  in  Ecclesiastical 
history.  The  evidences  of  religion,  natural 
and  revealed,  were  in  their  whole  extent  fa- 
miliar to  him.  He  had  made  himself  thor- 
oughly acquainted  with  the  different  systems 


194  LIFE   OF 

of  Theology,    which  divide   the  Christian 
world;  and  few  undoubtedly  had  ever  stu- 
died Scripture  itself  with  greater  care  and 
more  profound  attention.     He  was,  in  short, 
in  every  view  of  the  subject,  a  sound,   well 
informed,  and  able  divine;  and  it  is,  in  my 
judgment,  a  circumstance  highly  honourable 
to  his  character,  that  he  had  read  Divinity 
without  imbibing  any  of  that  narrow,   con- 
tracted spirit,  which  is  known  sometimes  to 
attach  to  it.     He  was  indeed  on  principle, 
and  from  a   deep  persuasion  of  its    supe- 
rior excellence,  unalterably  attached  to  the 
Church  of  England.    He  considered  its  doc- 
trines, as  exhibited  in  its  Homolies,  its  Ar- 
ticles, and  its  Liturgy,  to  be  essentially  and 
fundamentally  scriptural.     The  Galvinistic 
Interpretation  of  them  he  would  never  admit 
to  be  the  true  one;  and  in  this  opinion  he 
'A  as  uniform  and  consistent.     He  conceived 
them  to  speak  the  language  of  Scripture, 
which,  in  his  view  of  it,  was  decidedly  ad- 
verse to  the   sentiments  of  Calvin.     Upon 
this  point,  I  wish  distinctly  to  be  understood, 
as  asserting  on  my  own  positive  knowledge, 
that  in  no  one  article  of  faith,  as  far  as  they 
differ  from  our  Church,  did  he  sanction  the 


FORTEUS.  -> 

tenets  of  that  school.  On  the  contrary,  I 
have  heard  him  repeatedly  and  in  the  most 
unqualified  terms  express  his  astonishment, 
that  any  sober-minded  man,  sitting  down 
without  prejudice  to  the  study  of  the  Sacred 
Writings,  should  so  explain  and  understand 
them*. 

He  was  not  less  attached  to  the  Church  of 
England  in  its  Discipline,  which  he  thought 
formed  altogether  on  the  Apostolical  model; 
and  no  one  was  ever  more  strenuous  in  resis- 
ting any  departure  from  it  on  the  part  of  its 
established  Ministers.  Amongst  other  nu- 
merous proofs  I  might  adduce,  I  shall  intro- 
duce in  this  place  the  following  letter,  which 
he  wrote  to  a  Gentleman,  who  had  applied 
to  him  in  behalf  of  Dr.  Draper,  an  episco- 

*  The  irorld  has  lately  been  favoured  by  an  admirable 
treatise  on  this  subject  from  the  pen  of  the  excellent 
and  learned  Prelate,  "who  now  presides  over  the  Diocese 
of  Lincoln.  It  contains  a  most  profound,  laborious,  con- 
elusive  investigation  of  an  intricate  and  long-agitated 
question,  and  must  get  it,  I  think,  at  rest  for  ever.  It  is 
in  fact,  what  it  claims  to  be,  "  A  Refutation  of  Calvin 
ism  ;'5 — a  system  of  religion,  as  a  Writer  of  great  emi- 
nence has  most  justly  defined  it,  "  consisting  of  human 
creatures  without  liberty — doctrines  without  sense — faith 
without  reason — and  a  God  without  mercy," 


190 


LIFE    OF 


pally  ordained  clergyman,  whom  he  had  ex- 
pressly prohibited,  on  account  of  some  very 
irregular  proceedings,  from  officiating  in 
any  church  in  his  diocese. 

"  As  I  understood  that  Dr.  Draper  was 
what  you  represent  him  to  be,  a  man  of  pie- 
ty and  a  good  preacher,  it  gave  me,  I  assure 
you,  no  small  pain  to  feel  myself  under  the 
necessity  of  excluding  him  from  the  pulpits 
of  my  diocese  :  but  his  own  conductrender- 
ed  it  in  me  an  indispensable  duty.  Instead 
of  confining  himself,  which  as  a  Minister  of 
the  Church  of  England  he  ought  to  have 
done,  to  the  celebration  of  divine  service  in 
places  of  worship  licensed  or  consecrated  by 
hisDiocesan,  and  authorised  by  law,he  chose 
to  become  the  president  of  a  College,  and 
Preacher  in  a  Chapel,  founded  by  Lady 
Huntingdon,  for  the  purpose  of  training  up 
lay-preachers  for  conventicles,  licensed  as 
Dissenting  Meeting-houses.  Lady  Hun- 
tingdon, though  a  pious  woman,  was  unques- 
tionably not  a  member  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land, but  what  is  strictly  and  properly  so  cal- 
led, a  Methodist ;  professing  the  doctrines  of 
one  of  the  first  founders  of  Methodism, 
George  Whitfielcl,  and  educating  young  men 


BISHOP    PORTKUS. 


197 


to  preach  those  doctrines  without  episcopal 
ordination.  There  could  not  therefore  be  a 
more  injudicious  and  offensive  measure,  or 
more  hostile  to  the  Church  of  England,  than 
to  become  the  President  of  such  a  College, 
and  the  Preacher  in  such  a  Chapel,  found- 
ed for  such  purposes. 

"What  Dr.  Draper  has  done,  is  moreover 
directly   repugnant  to  the   Canons   of    the 
Church  of  England,  which  prohibit  every 
minister  of  that  church  from  preaching    in 
any  chapel  that  is  not  sanctioned  and  allow- 
ed by  the  ecclesiastical  laws  of  the  realm, 
under  very  severe  penalties;  and  were  I  to 
proceed  to  extremities,  those  penalties  must 
be    inflicted.     But    I  have  taken  a   milder 
course.     I  have  only  excluded  from  the  pa- 
rochial churches  of  my  diocese  a  Clergy- 
man, who  has  separated  himself  for  a  consi- 
derable part  of  the  year  from  the  Establish- 
ed Church,  and  set  up  a  church  of  his  own, 
neither  licensed  nor  consecrated  by  his  Dio- 
cesan.    I  neither  blame  Dr.  Draper  nor  any 
other  man  for  following  the  dictates  of  his 
own  conscience  in  matters  of  religion.     I 
would  have  every  man  permitted  to  worship 
God  without  interruption  or  molestation  in 
H  2 


196 


LIFE 


the  manner  he  most  approves.  But  then  k-t 
him  be  consistent.  Let  him  not  halt  between 
two  opinions.  Let  him  not  vibrate  between 
two  modes  of  worship.  Let  him  not  be  a 
Methodist  in  the  morning,  and  a  Church-of- 
England  Man  in  the  afternoon.  I  never  can 
consent  that  any  clergyman  in  my  diocese 
should  so  divide  himself  between  Sectarism 
and  the  Establishment — between  the  Church 
of  England  and  the  Church  of  Lady  Hun- 
tingdon. Let  him  take  his  part,  and  adhere 
to  it  steadily  and  uniformly  throughout. 

"  In  this,  I  hope,  there  is  nothing  like  in> 
tolerance.  It  is  nothing  more  than  what 
common  decency  and  common  sense  require. 
There  cannot  be  a  more  determined  enemy 
to  persecution  of  every  kind,  and  a  more  de- 
rided friend  to  toleration  than  myself.  Eve- 
ry  one  that  has  known  me  and  my  sentiments 
und  habits,  from  my  earliest  youth,  knows 
this  to  be  the  case ;  and,  I  trust,  my  wri- 
tings contain  unequivocal  proofs  of  it.  In- 
deed, I  believe,  I  am  generally  thought  to 
carry  my  lenity  towards  those,  who  have  the 
misfortune  to  differ  from  the  Church  of 
England,  a  little  too  far.  I  have  certainly  al- 
ways treated  them  with  gentleness  and  emir- 


HI  SHOP   PORTF.US.  199 

.  considering  them,  as  they  certainly  are, 
fellow  Christians,  fellow  Protestants  and  fel- 
low members  of  that  Holy  Catholic  Church, 
that  universal  Church  of  Christ ',  which  we 
repeatedly  pray  for  in  our  admirable  and  cha- 
ritable Liturgy. 

"  Yet  notwithstanding  this,  whenever  the 
occasion  requires  it,  I  will  vigorously  resist 
the  invasion  of  unauthorised  preachers  up- 
on our  parish  churches.  I  will  not  shrink 
from  the  duties  of  my  station,  but  will  main- 
tain the  discipline  and  good  order  of  that 
Ecclesiastical  Constitution,  of  which  I  am 
bound  to  be  a  vigilant  and  faithful  guardian, 
and  to  exercise  that  authority,  with  which 
the  laws  of  the  land  and  the  Canons  of  the 
Church  have  invested  me  for  that  purpose. 

"  With  respect  to  the  pamphlets  you 
mention,  which  have  been  written  against 
me  on  the  case  of  Dr.  Draper,  I  have  read 
none  of  them,  nor  ever  shall.  I  am  not  to 
be  frightened  from  doing  what  I  conceive  to 
be  my  duty,  by  such  contemptible  assailants 
as  these.  Every  man  in  such  a  public  and 
ostensible  station  as  mine,  must  be  prepared 
for  attacks  of  that  sort,  and  must  have  firm- 
ness and  fortitude  enough  to  despise  them, 


200 


LIFE   OF 


Otherwise,  he    is  unfit  to  fill  the  situation 
which  he  occupies." 

After  reading  this  letter,  it  will  be  utterly 
impossible  for  any  candid  man  to  suppose 
for  a  moment,  that  the  Bishop  was  not  a  stren- 
uous supporter  of  the  established  discipline 
of  the  Church  of  England.  But,  at  the 
same  time,  as  this  letter  proves,  he  had  a 
mind  too  liberal,  too  noble  and  enlarged,  not 
to  treat,  as  he  says,  "  with  gentleness  and 
courtesy"  those  who  differed  from  him  in 
religious  opinions.  Provided  they  held  the 
fundamentals  of  Christianity,  he  considered 
them  "  as  fellow  Christians,  fellow  Protes- 
tants, and  fellow  members  of  the  universal 
church;"  and  he  could  never  tolerate  the 
thought,  that  on  account  of  a  mere  diversity 
in  outward  forms,  they  should  be  avoided  as 
foes  to  religion,  excluded  from  tfye  covenant 
of  mercy,  and  thrust  with  acrimony  and 
scorn  beyond  the  pale  of  salvation.  Such 
language  and  conduct  he  held  to  be  at  open 
variance  with  the  text  and  spirit  of  Scrip- 
ture :  and  he  therefore  uniformly  manifested 
in  his  own  practice  the  utmost  liberality  and 
candour  to  every  denomination  of  Christians. 
He  would  have  been  glad  to  have  brought 


BISHOP    PORTEUS.  201 

them  over  to  his  own  way  of  thinking;  but 
he  did  not  break  off  all  intercourse  with  them, 
merely  because  they  chose  to  think  for  them- 
selves.    On  the  contrary,  he  gave  them  cre- 
dit for  sincerity  ;  he   was  anxious  to  shew 
them  any  kindness  in  his  power;  and,   in- 
stead of  widening  the  breach  by  contending 
about  points  in  which  they  varied  from  each 
other,  he  laboured  with  them  in  promoting 
those  great  essential  truths,  and  that  unalte- 
rable moral  Law,  in  which  they  all  agreed. 
I  know  indeed,  and  he  knew  it  himself, 
that  he  was  thought  by  some  to  entertain  lax 
opinions  upon  this  subject,  and  that  he  fell 
under  the  common,  sweeping  imputation  of 
Methodism.     But  he  was  not  to  be  deterred 
from  pursuing  the  calm  determination  of  his 
own  mind  by  any  calumny  whatever;  and 
much  less  by  the  stigma  of  a  name — a  name, 
devised  by  the  enemies  of  religion  for  the 
worst  purposes,  and  which,  as  generally  used, 
attaches  indiscriminately  to  the  ignorant,  ra- 
ving fanatic,  and  the  sound,  learned,  pious, 
and  even  orthodox  divine.     He  was,  in  fact, 
neither  a  Methodist,  nor  an  encourager   of 
Methodism:  but  he  was  the  advocate  of  re- 
ligious liberty, — the  friend    of  moderation 


202  LIFE    OF 

and  concord.  He  deprecated,  as  the  great- 
est  injury  to  Christianity,  all  violence  and 
animosity ;  and  it  was  the  fervent  wish  of  his 
heart,  that,  if  men  cannot  be  brought  to 
think  together,  they  would  at  least  endeavour 
to  live  together  in  amity  and  in  peace. 

In  Parliament,  the  Bishop  never  spoke 
except  on  points  strictly  ecclesiastical,  con- 
nected either  with  the  discipline  and  good 
order  of  the  Church,  or  the  general  welfare 
of  religion.  But  when  he  did  deliver  his 
sentiments,  he  expressed  himself  with  ease, 
propriety  and  firmness,  and  was  always  heard 
with  attention.  His  political  opinions  were 
those  of  Mr.  Pitt;  and  he  entertained  them, 
not  blindly  and  submissively  on  a  mere  par- 
ty principle,  but  from  a  conscientious  delibe- 
rate conviction,  that  they  were  intrinsically 
right.  What  his  sentiments  were  of  that 
truly  great  and  ever  to  be  lamented  man  will 
be  seen  in  the  following  passage  : 

11  The  death,"  he  says,  "  of  this  illustrious 
Statesman,  has,  with  very  few  exceptions, 
caused  inexpressible  concern  throughout 
the  kingdom.  He  was  unquestionably  one 
of  the  most  extraordinary  men  that,  this  01 


BISHOP    PORTKL^.  203 

any  other  country  ever  produced.  For  near 
twenty  years,  he  directed  the  affairs  of  the 
British  Empire  with  unbounded  confidence 
from  his  Sovereign  and  the  people,  with  un- 
rivalled eloquence  and  ability,  and  with  un- 
spotted, unimpeached  integrity;  and  we  may 
justly  apply  to  him  Mark  Antony's  splendid 
encomium  upon  Caesar; 

He  was  the  foremost  man  of  all  the  world. 

"  For  a  long  period  he  maintained  a  noble 
struggle  for  our  liberty  and  independence, 
against  the  gigantic  power  of  France ;  pre- 
served us,  under  Providence,  from  the  anar- 
chy and  desolation,  which  overwhelmed  a 
large  portion  of  the  rest  of  Europe,  and  died 
at  last  a  martyr  to  his  unwearied  labours  in 
the  service  of  his  country. 

"  It  is  a  singular  circumstance,"  adds  the 
Bishop,  "  and  a  most  unfortunate  one  for 
this  kingdom,  that  two  such  men  as  Lord 
Nelson  and  Mr.  Pitt  (each  in  his  respective 
station  without  a  parallel  in  the  history  of 
the  world)  should  be  prematurely  taken  away 
from  us,  within  a  few  months  of  each  other; 
in  the  very  meridian  of  their  course ;  at  the 
same  period  of  life ;  in  the  full  possession 


20 -I  LIFE    OF 

of  all  their  faculties  and  powers ;  and  at  a 
time  too,  when  we  stood  most  in  need  of 
the  mighty  mind  of  the  one,  and  the  invin- 
cible arm  of  the  other! — 4  How  unsearcha- 
ble are  God's  judgments,  and  his  ways  past 
finding  out ! '  : 

As  a  Preacher,  the  Bishop's  reputation 
has  ever  stood  deservedly  high  in  the  pub- 
lic estimation.  Few  men  indeed  were  ever 
so  remarkably  endowed  with  all  the  quali- 
ties, which  give  pre-eminence  in  the  pulpit. 
His  voice,  without  unusual  loudness  or 
strength,  was  yet  uncommonly  clear;  and  it 
was  combined  with  such  a  liquid,  distinct 
enunciation,  as  rendered  him  completely  au- 
dible even  in  the  largest  churches  and  to  the 
most  crowded  congregations.  It  also  pos- 
sessed great  sweetness  and  flexibility ;  and 
he  had  the  talent  of  modulating  it  so  correct- 
ly as  always  to  please  and  satisfy  the  ear, 
and  yet  so  easily  and  naturally,  as  never,  even 
in  the  slightest  degree,  to  incur  the  charge 
of  affectation.  His  delivery  was  very  im- 
pressive. It  was  chaste,  earnest,  spirited, 
devout.  He  had  no  studied  action,  no  ve- 
hement and  forced  emotion.  He  spoke  evi- 
dently as  he  felt.  His  whole  soul  was  in  b"";: 


BJSJJOP  PORTLVr-  -°^ 

subject.  He  seemed  to  forget  himself  in 
the  deep  interest,  which  he  took  in  the  edifi- 
cation of  his  hearers  ;  and  this  circumstance 
gave,  as  it  manifestly  would,  such  a  power  and 
charm  to  his  preaching,  as  never  failed  to  ex- 
tort attention  even  from  the  coldest  and  the 
most  insensible.  His  style  was  admirably 
adapted  to  the  pulpit.  It  was  plain,  without 
being  too  familiar ;  classical,  without  being 
pedantic.  His  great  aim  was,  to  express 
himself  so  clearly,  that  the  meanest  and  the 
least  informed  might  always  comprehend 
him*  ;  and  yet  with  such  correctness  and 

1  The  fact  contained  in  the  following  extract  of  a  let- 
ter to  me,  from  a  very  sensible  and  judicious  man,  is  a 
most  striking  proof  of  the  clearness  and  perspicuity  of 
the  Bishop's  writing,  and  of  its  being  calculated  in  an 
eminent  degree  for  general  usefulness : 

" Sir  Alexander  Johnston,  who  holds, 

as  you  know,  a  high  situation  in  the  Island  of  Ceylon, 
told  me,  that,  having  heard  of  the  discussions  which  were 
carrying  on  in  Europe,  respecting  the  introduction  of 
Christianity  into  the  East,  it  occurred  to  him,  that  great 
mistakes  were  made  from  a  want  of  knowledge  of  the 
minds  of  the  people,  and  the  most  probable  means  of  in- 
fluencing them ;  and  that  with  a  view  to  obtain  this 
knowledge  he  had  assembled  the  leading  people  m  the 
Island,  who  were  acquainted  with  the  English  language, 
and  put  into  their  hands  several  treatises  containing  the 
s 


206  LIFE  OF 

purity,  as  to  be  heard  with  satisfaction  by 
men  of  taste  and  education.  How  perfectly 
he  succeeded,  his  discourses  prove.  They 
are  distinguished  throughout  by  the  most 
elegant  simplicity :  at  the  same  time,  when 
the  occasion  calls  for  it,  they  are  strong, 

doctrines  and  proofs  of  Religion;  requesting  that  they 
would  read  them,  and  tell  him  which  of  them  carried 
most  conviction  to  their  minds,  and  which  they  thought 
most  likely  to  make  an  impression  upon  the  rest  of  their 
countrymen.  I  should  tell  you,  that  the  persons  he  con- 
sulted \\  ere  previously  nominal  Christians,  being  descen- 
dants of  those  who  had  embraced  the  Catholic  Religion 
under  the  Portuguese,  or  Calvinism  under  the  Dutch. 
They  all  gave  a  decided  preference  to  the  Bishop  of 
London's  Epitome  of  the  Christian  Evidences;  saying, 
that  they  had  never  understood  their  religion  before, 
and  that  they  were  convinced  it  was  the  best  adapted 
to  influence  the  Cingalese.  Upon  this  he  ordered  it  to 
be  translated  by  the  two  Interpreters  of  the  Court  of 
Justice,  who  are  men  of  rank  in  the  Island :  and  he  says 
it  was  generally  circulated. 

"  I  thought  you  would  be  pleased  to  hear  this  fact,  as 
an  honourable  testimony  to  the  merit  of  the  Bishop's 
Work,  proceeding  from  the  criticism  of  nature.  It  strikes 
me  too,  that  it  may  be  of  public  use,  as  a  guide  to  the 
best  mode  of  instructing  the  people  of  the  East,  At 
least  it  shews,  that  they  are  open  to  instruction,  convey- 
ed in  a  sober,  rational  form,  and  that  the  office  need  not 
be  left,  as  some  think,  to  wild  enthusiasts." 


BISHOP   PORTEUS.  207 

nervous,  eloquent,  sublime.  His  sentiments 
and  language  rise  with  his  subject ;  and, 
heightened  as  they  were  by  his  peculiar  elo- 
cution, they  made  a  deep  and  most  powerful 
impression.  But  it  was  neither  style  nor 
manner,  nor  utterance,  which  alone  gave  such 
efficacy  to  his  preaching.  His  sermons  are 
conspicuous  for  sound  judgment,  solid  ar- 
gument, great  knowledge  of  the  human 
heart,  accurate  observation  of  the  world,  an 
unshrinking  reprobation  of  vice,  the  most 
persuasive  exhortations  to  piety,  and  an  un- 
qualified avowal  of  all  the  essential,  funda- 
mental truths  and  doctrines  of  the  Gospel. 
It  has  been  said  indeed,  that  there  are  in  his 
discourses  no  deep  views  of  religion;  and 
unquestionably  they  contain  no  elaborate  dis- 
cussions on  controverted  points  of  theology: 
no  visionary  flights  of  fancy  into  things  not 
revealed;  no  minute  details  of  religious 
struggles,  impulses,  and  feelings.  But,  for 
the  grand  object  of  practical  and  vital  amend- 
ment; for  all  that  can  seize,  excite,  and  in- 
terest the  best  feelings  of  the  soul;  for  that 
energetic  appeal  to  the  heart  and  conscience, 
which  can  arrest  the  sinner  in  a  course  of 
guilt,  strike  him  with  compunction,  urge 


208  LIFE   Of 

him  to  repentance,  save  him  from  perdition-; 
for  that  earnestness  of  parental  counsel, 
which  can  fix  the  wavering  and  confirm  the 
virtuous ;  for  that  power  of  spiritual  conso- 
lation, which  can  soothe  the  afflicted,  bind 
up  the  broken-hearted,  cheer  the  suffering, 
comfort  the  desponding;  for  that  gentle, 
meek,  conciliating  spirit,  which  can  soften 
the  asperity  of  religious  dispute,  and  unite 
men  of  various  and  discordant  senti- 
ments in  the  bond  of  peace,  amity  and  af- 
fection;— for  all  these  purposes,  I  know  no 
discourses  superior  ;  and  there  are  not  wan- 
ting instances  on  record,  in  which  they  are 
known  to  have  been  powerfully  and  signal- 
ly efficacious.  One,  in  particular,  occurred 
at  Bath,  where  a  gentlemen  at  that  place, 
whose  name  was  Boissier,  and  who  had  un- 
happily imbibed  all  the  mischievous  tenets 
of  the  French  Philosophy,  and  was  in  fact 
an  avowed  infidel,  was  so  impressed  and 
struck  by  a  sermon,  which  the  Bishop  preach- 
ed on  these  words, — "  Truly  this  was  the 
Son  of  God," — that  he  was  actually  conver- 
ted by  it.  He  was  induced  to  renounce  his 
.former  principles.  He  was  persuaded  to 
look  into  Revelation  ;  to  examine  and  con- 


EISHOP   PORTED.  200 

sider  its  evidences  ;  and  the  result  was,  that 
he  not  only  became  a  sincere  and  firm  believ- 
er in  the  doctrines  of  the  Gospel,  but  un- 
dertook a  translation  of  a  very  ingenious  and 
excellent  work,  M.  Bonnet's  Inquiries  in- 
to  Christianity,  with  the  hope  as  he  expres- 
ses himself,  "of  imparting  those  advantages 
to  others,  which  I  derived  myself  from  the 
weighty  arguments  and  persuasive  eloquence 
of  that  respectable  Prelate,  who  first  traced 
out  to  me  the  road  to  Truth." 

But  the  Bishop  was  not  only  himself  pre- 
eminent in  the  pulpit,  but  he  was  anxious  to 
promote  those  in  the  church,  who  appeared 
to  him  to  be  the  best  qualified  by  their  lear, 
ning,  their  talents,  and  their  eloquence,  to 
uphold  the  cause  of  religion.  It  must  ever, 
for  example,  be  mentioned  to  his  honour, 
that  he  conferred  the  valuable  living  of  St. 
James's  Westminster,  on  its  present  highly- 
respected  Rector,  the  Dean  of  Canterbury, 
At  the  time  the  benefice  became  vacant,  Dr. 
Andre wes  was  no  otherwise  known  to  him, 
than  by  his  general  character,  and  his  ac- 
knowledged excellence  as  a  preacher.  But 
"  for  these  reasons,"  says  the  Bishop,  "  he 
appeared  to  me  by  far  the  fittest  person  I 


LIFE    OF 


could  place  in  that  very  important  situation  ; 
the  most  important  perhaps  of  any  parochial 
situation  in  this  kingdom.  His  conduct  since 
has  fully  answered  my  most  sanguine  ex- 
pectations.  His  church  is  crowded  with 
persons  of  every  rank  and  condition ;  and 
he  is  doing  infinite  service  in  that  large  and 
populous  parish,  not  only  by  his  preaching, 
but  by  his  exemplary  unremitted  attention  to 
all  the  duties  of  his  profession,  private  and 
public. 

It  was  not  however  only  by  patronising 
men  of  reputation,  and  placing  them  in  situa- 
tions of  usefulness  and  responsibility,  that 
he  endeavoured  to  advance  the  credit  of  the 
church.  He  was  also  anxious  to  lay  a  foun- 
dation for  its  future  benefit:  and  this  he 
thought  might  be  most  effectually  done  in 
the  manner  thus  stated  by  himself : 

"  It  has  often,"  he  says,  "  been  matter  of 
deep  regret  to  me,  that,  in  the  excellent  sys- 
tem of  education  established  in  our  two 
Universities,  sufficient  regard  has  not  been 
paid  to  the  instruction  of  young  men  intend- 
ed for  the  church,  in  those  studies  and  at- 
tainments, which  are  peculiarly  fitted  to  quali- 
fy them  for  discharging  with  respectability 


BISHOP   PORTEUS,  21  1 

and  success  the  various  important  functions 
of  their  sacred  office.  More  particularly  I 
have  lamented  that  there  is  no  part  of  acade- 
mical education  that  has  any  tendency  to  pro- 
duce, what  is  certainly  one  of  the  most  use- 
ful, and  most  essential  branches  of  our  pro- 
fession,— good  preaching  and  good  reading. 
There  is  no  instruction  given  in  it,  no  re- 
wards or  honours  assigned  to  it,  no  attention 
paid  to  it.  Yet  this  is  confessedly  the  great 
instrument  by  which  we  are  '  to  persuade 
men  ;'  by  which  we  are  to  make  an  impres- 
sion on  their  hearts  and  consciences,  reclaim 
them  from  sin,  establish  them  in  virtue,  and 
'  work  out  their  salvation.' 

"  I  therefore  determined  to  try,  whether  by 
any  means  I  could  excite  in  the  younger  part 
of  the  University  of  Cambridge  a  spirit  of 
ambition  to  excel  in  those  most  important 
and  necessary  qualifications  of  a  parochial 
clergyman:  and,  after  much  deliberation, 
nothing  seemed  to  me  more  likely  to  attain 
this  purpose,  than  the  institution  of  Prizes 
for  good  Elocution  and  good  Composition 
on  religious  subjects.  If  public  honours 
were  once  assigned  to  those,  who  distin- 
guished themselves  in  these  things,  as  well 


213  LIFE   OF 

as  to  eminent  classical  scholars  and  mathc 
maticans,  I  felt  persuaded,  that  the  most  ben- 
eficial effects  would  result  from  such  an  in- 
stitution ;  and  I  therefore  resolved  to  form 
one  for  that  purpose  at  Christ's  College, 
where  I  was  educated,  if  that  Society  should 
be  inclined  to  accept  it.  On  my  proposing 
it  to  Dr.  Barker,  then  Master,  he  and  the 
College  very  obligingly  acceded  to  the  propo- 
sal ;  and  accordingly,  very  soon  after,  I  trans- 
ferred the  sum  of  1,400/.  4  per  Cents  for  the 
establishment  of  three  Prizes,  to  be  appropri- 
ated to  the  following  purposes  : 

"  1st.  A  Gold  Medal  of  15/.  value,  for  the  best  Dis- 
sertation in  Latin  by  an  Undergraduate  of  any  standing, 
on  any  of  the  chief  evidences,  or  fundamental  doctrines 
of  the  Christian  Revelation. 

"  2dly.  A  Gold  Medal  of  the  same  value,  for  the  best 
practicle  Dissertation  in  English  on  any  moral  precept  in 
the  New  Testament ;  regard  being  had,  in  deciding  on 
its  merits,  both  to  the  excellence  of  the  composition,  and 
the  graceful  and  impressive  manner  of  delivering  it, 
when  read  in  Chapel*. 

*  By  a  subsequent  Indenture,  dated  Jan.  4th,  1809, 
the  Bishop  determined  that,  th«  two  Prize  Medals  for 
.Essays  or  Dissertations  should  not  be  confined  to  Un- 
dergraduates, but  should  be  opr-'n  to  all  the  Graduates,  as 
well  as  Undergraduates  of  Christ's  College. 


BISHOP   PORTEVS.  213 

.  A  Gold  Medal  of  10/.  value,  to  the  best  reader 
oi  the  Lessons  in  Chapel." 

In  this  manner  did  the  Bishop,  with  a 
truly  liberal  spirit,  prove  himself  the  real 
friend  of  the  Church,  by  encouraging,  as  far 
as  in  him  lay,  a  more  able  and  effectual  per- 
formance of  its  sacred  offices.  Indeed  I 
can  hardly  speak  of  his  generosity  upon  all 
occasions,  in  which  it  could  be  exerted,  with- 
out risking  the  charge  of  exaggeration.  Yet 
I  know  it  to  be  true,  and  I  have  before  sta- 
ted the  same  fact,  that  no  one  ever  practised 
the  virtue  of  beneficence  in  a  more  exalted 
degree.  Providence  had  blessed  him  with 
ample  means,  and  he  employed  them  freely 
and  largely  in  removing  to  the  utmost  of  his 
power  the  wants  of  the  necessitous.  The 
tale  of  distress  never  came  to  him  unheeded. 
His  heart  and  his  hands  were  ever  open ;  and 
many  were  his  acts  of  charity,  which  were 
known  only  to  himself  and  those  whom  he 
relieved.  In  him  the  poor  had  a  kind,  a  con- 
stant, an  unfailing  friend :  not  that  he  wish- 
ed to  encourage  a  system  of  begging,  much 
less  that  sordid,  lazy  wretchedness,  which 
sometimes  is  allied  to  poverty.  On  the  con- 
trary, he  endeavoured  to  select  the  virtuous 


214  LIFE    OF 

and  industrious  ;  and,  whilst  he  never  refu- 
sed to  give  something  to  those,  who  seemed 
to  be  in  need,  he  always  gave  more  readily 
and  liberally  to  those,  who  really  wanted,  and 
who,  he  knew,  deserved  it.  His  principle 
was,  in  short,  in  all  cases,  if  possible,  to  dis- 
criminate ;  but  not  to  shrink  from  an  act  of 
charity  through  a  general  suspicion  of  arti- 
fice and  deception.  The  very  habit  of  gi- 
ving was  in  his  apprehension  more  than  an 
equivalent  for  accidental  imposition.  To 
almost  all  our  public  Charities,  he  more  or 
less  contributed,  and  often,  where  it  was  ne- 
cessary, to  a  large  amount.  Wherever  in- 
deed positive  good  could  be  done ,  or  posi- 
tive evil  be  removed,  his  aid  was  never  want- 
ing. He  was  "  glad  to  distribute,  willing 


to  communicate." 


To  those  of  his  Clergy,  in  particular, 
whose  situation  and  circumstances  required 
assistance,  his  kindness  was  unceasing;  and 
it  was  always  rendered  doubly  acceptable  by 
the  unostentatious  manner  in  which  it  was 
bestowed.  There  are  many  living  at  this 
moment,  who  can  bear  ample  testimony  to 
the  truth  of  this  declaration  ;  and  who  must 
often  heave  a  sigh  of  regret  at  the  loss  of  so 


BISHOP  PORTEUS. 


•warm  a  friend,  and  so  generous  a  benefactor. 
But,  though  he  himself  can  now  no  longer 
dispense  it,  his  liberality  will  still  be  felt  in 
that  splendid,  and  almost  unexampled  dona- 
tion of  no  less  a  sum  than  6,  TOO/,  in  the  3 
per  Cents.  Consolidated  Annuities,  which, 
during  his  life,  he  transferred  into  the  hands 
of  the  four  Archdeacons  for  the  time  being 
of  the  Diocese  of  London  ;  and  the  Inter- 
est of  which  he  directed  to  be  annually  dis- 
tributed at  their  discretion,  in  sums  not  ex- 
ceeding twenty  pounds,  to  a  certain  number 
of  the  poorer  Clergy  in  that  See,  who  may 
be  thought  to  stand  most  in  need  of  relief. 
This  was  indeed  a  noble  act  of  munificence  ; 
and  it  will  for  ages  yet  to  come  render  his 
name  illustrious,  and  endear  his  memory  to 
the  Church  of  England. 

It  was  not  however  merely  by  pecuniary 
aid,  that  he  displayed  the  spirit  of  real  Chris- 
tian benevolence.  In  the  distress  of  his 
friends  he  ever  deeply  sympathized,  losing 
no  opportunity  of  encouraging,  of  soothing, 
of  consoling  them.  To  those  who  reques- 
ted his  advice,  he  cheerfully  and  freely  gave 
it  ;  and  out  of  many  instances  I  select  the 
following  ;  not  only  because  the  subjects  to 


216  LIFE    OF 

which  he  adverts  are  in  themselves  of  all 
others  the  most  interesting,  but  as  it  marks 
in  a  very  striking  point  of  view  the  readiness 
with  which  he  endeavoured  to  impart  in- 
struction and  counsel  even  to  a  person  of 
'whose  name  and  condition  he  had  no  know- 
ledge, but  who,  it  seems,  had  consulted  him 
on  various  religious  difficulties,  to  which  the 
perusal  of  Mr.-  Wilberforce's  "  Practical 
Fiew"  had  given  rise.  The  importance  and 
excellence  of  the  letter  will  compensate  for 
its  length. 

"  Although  I  sincerely  wish  that  you  had 
applied  to  a  more  able  adviser  in  matters  of 
so  much  importance,  yet  as,  I  trust,  I  can  af- 
ford you  some  consolation,  and  to  a  great 
degree,  if  not  entirely  remove  the  fears  and 
apprehensions,  which  press  so  heavily  upon 
your  mind,  I  think  it  an  act  of  common  hu- 
manity to  give  you  the  best  opinion  I  am 
able  to  form  on  the  subject,  from  a  very  at- 
tentive perusal  of  Mr.  Wilberforce's  book, 
and  a  very  diligent  examination  of  the  Sa- 
cred Writings. 

"  And,  first,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that 
the  love  of  God  and  of  Christ  is  a  most  in- 
dispensable duty  ;  and  when  we  consider  the 


BISHOP 


very  forcible  words  made  use  of  with  respect 
to  the  former,  —  l  Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord 
thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  with  all  thy  soul, 
with  all  thy  mind,  and  with  all  thy  strength;' 
—  and  when  we  reflect,  that  with  regard  to 
the  latter  it  is  said  —  *  If  any  man  love  not 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  let  him  be  Anathema, 
Maran-atha,'  —  that  is,  as  Doddridge  explains 
it,  <  he  will  lie  under  the  heaviest  curse  that 
an  Apostle  can  pronounce,  or  God  inflict,'  — 
it  is  evident  that  a  very  high  degree  of  love. 
of  reverence,  of  attachment,  and  of  grati- 
tude  to  our  Maker  and  our  Redeemer,  is  ex- 
pected  from  us  ;  and  that  this  command  is 
utterly  inconsistent  with  a  cold,  lifeless,  lan- 
guid indifference  towards  them.  It  is  also 
true,  that  it  is  our  duty  by  frequent  medita- 
tions on  the  perfections  and  the  goodness  of 
God,  by  pious  contemplation,  by  frequent 
and  fervent  prayer,  and  by  imploring  the  as- 
sistance of  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  animate  and 
enliven  and  invigorate  these  holy  affections 
in  our  souls,  and  to  raise  them  to  as  great  a 
degree  of  warmth  and  ardour  as  we  can. 
Yet  still  the  degree  of  that  ardour  must  ve- 
ry much  depend  on  the  different  tempers, 
constitutions,  dispositions,  and  habits  of  dif 


218  LIFE   OF 

ferent  men ;  and  therefore  cannot  be  expec- 
ted to  be  the  same  in  all.  Mr.  Wilberforce 
himself  allows  this  to  be  the  case.  He  says 
expressly,  that  a  difference  in  natural  dispo- 
sition, in  the  circumstances  of  the  past  life, 
and  in  numberless  other  particulars,  may  oc- 
casion a  great  difference  in  the  predominant 
tempers  of  different  Christians ;  but  that,  in 
a  greater  or  less  degree,  a  cordial  complacen- 
cy in  the  sovereignty,  an  exalted  sense  of 
the  perfections,  a  grateful  impression  of  the 
goodness,  and  a  humble  hope  of  the  favour 
of  the  Divine  Being,  are  common  to  all. 

"  Now  of  all  these  sentiments  and  affec- 
tions, in  a  certain  degree,  you  seem  to  be  pos- 
sessed. He  says  also,  that  the  only  infallible 
criterion  of  a  sincere  love  of  God,  is  an  ac- 
tive discharge  of  the  several  duties  of  life, 
and  a  conscientious  obedience  to  the  laws  of 
the  Gospel;  and  this  proof  you  humbly 
trust  you  can  give.  In  fine,  he  asserts,  that 
in  this,  and  all  other  Christian  duties,  it  is 
the  willing  mind,  the  sincere  wish  and  endea- 
vour to  do  our  best,  which  is  principally  re- 
quired. Where  that  is  found,  every  man 
will  be  judged  '  according  to  what  he  hath, 
and  not  according  to  what  he  loath  not.' 


BISHOP   PORTEUS.  219 

"  If  we  look  into  the  Scriptures  them- 
selves, we  shall  find  that  the  definition  which 
they  give  of  the  love  of  God,  contains  no- 
thing that  need  alarm  a  really   serious  and 
pious  mind.     They  make  it  to  consist  solely 
in  obeying  God's  commands.     *  This  is  the 
love  of  God,'  says  St.  John, '  that  we  keep 
his  commandments  :'    and  again — c  He  that 
hath  my  commandments  and  keepeth  them,' 
says  our  Saviour,   *  he  it  is  that  loveth  me  ;' 
— '  Ye  are  my  friends,'  he  says,  *  if  ye  do 
whatsoever  I  command  you  ;'  and  again,  in 
still  stronger  terms  we  are  told,  that*  Who- 
so keepeth  God's  word,  in  him  verily  is  the 
love  of  God  perfected?     If,  then,  you  can 
give  this  proof  of  your  love  ;  and  if  more- 
over you  have,  as  you  say,  the  highest  reve- 
rence and  admiration  of  his  infinite  perfec- 
tions ;  are  deeply  impressed  with  a  sense  of 
his  goodness  ;  and  if,  finally,  you   prefer  his 
favour  and  approbation  to  all  earthly  advanta- 
ges ; — though  you  may  not  feel  so  much  ar- 
dour of  affection  as  you  earnestly  wish  and 
strive  for,  yon  have  yet  no  reason  to  appre- 
hend the  Divine  displeasure  for  falling  short 
of  that   measure  of  excellence,  which  you 
sincerely  aim  at,  but  feel  yourself  unable  to 
attain. 


220  £iFE   Oi 

"  Your  next  source  of  uneasiness  is  the 
occasional  languor  and  coldness  and  wander- 
ings of  your  prayers,  especially  at  church, 
and  the  want  of  that  rapturous  delight  and 
joy,  which  some  persons  experience  in  the 
exercise  of  devotion.  To  this  I  answer, 
that  attention  and  earnestness,  and  a  certain 
degree  of  fervour  in  our  devotion,  are  doubt- 
less  qualifications  necessary  to  render  them 
acceptable  to  our  Heavenly  Father  ;  for  we 
are  told,  that  it  is  only  '  the  effectual,  fervent 
prayer  of  a  righteous  man  that  availeth 
much ;'  and  God  reproves  those  who  *  draw 
near  to  him  with  their  lips,  while  their  hearts 
are  far  from  him.'  But  the  degree  of  this 
fervour,  as  well  as  of  the  joy  that  springs 
from  devotion,  will  (like  that  of  the  love  of 
God)  depend  much  on  the  natural  tem- 
per, disposition,  constitution,  and  other 
circumstances,  and  will  of  course  be  very 
different  in  different  men.  To  wanderings 
and  distraction  and  occasional  languor  in 
their  prayers,  the  best  of  men  are,  I 
fear,  sometimes  subject ;  and  they  must 
always  be  resisted  to  the  utmost  of  our 
power.  There  can  be  no  doubt,  that,  if  you 
strive  against  them  in  earnest,  you  wil!5  by 


BISHOP   FORVKUS.  221 


degrees,  with  God's  grace,  entirely  .or  in  a 
great  measure  subdue  them,  and  will  also  ac- 
quire more  pleasure  in  the  exercise  of  devo- 
tion. In  the  mean  time,  as  you  say,  it  alrea- 
dy affords  you  satisfaction  and  comfort,  and 
spreads  over  your  mind  a  calm  complacen- 
cy and  religious  composure,  you  may  hum- 
bly hope,  that  your  imperfections  will  be 
pardoned,  and  your  sincere  endeavours  ac- 
cepted at  the  Throne  of  Grace. 

"  The  next  misfortune  you  complain  of 
is,  that  you  do  not  possess  that  high  degree 
of  heavenly-mindedness,  that  lively  concep- 
tion of  the  joys  of  heaven,  and  that  anima- 
ted and  rapturous  delight  in  the  contempla- 
tion of  them,  with  which  some  persons, 
and  especially  Mr.  Wilberforce,  seem  to  be 
blessed.  To  this  I  say,  that  although  these 
delightful  feelings  are  most  ardently  to  be 
desired,  and  aimed  at,  yet  if  with  your  ut- 
most endeavours  and  prayers  you  cannot  at- 
tain to  them,  you  must  submit  with  hum- 
ble  resignation  to  the  will  of  God,  and  not 
be  dejected  or  discouraged,  or  think  it  any 
mark  of  God's  displeasure,  that  he  does  not 
vouchsafe  them  to  you.  They  are  undoubt- 
edly the  most  valuable  blessings,  that  his 
T  2 


LIFE   OP 


mercy  can  bestow  upon  us ;  and  happy, 
thrice  happy,  are  they  to  whom  they  are  gi- 
ven, hut,  like  many  other  blessings,  they 
fall  to  the  lot  of  few.  Great  numbers  of 
sincere  Christians  feel,  that  with  their  utmost 
efforts  they  cannot  raise  their  minds  to  them ; 
and  it  is  then  a  misfortune  in  which  they  must 
patiently  acquiesce.  Besides,  Infinite  Wis- 
dom may  see  good  reasons  for  not  indulging 
you  with  these  heavenly  sensations.  The 
denial  of  them  may  be  intended  as  a  trial  of 
your  patience,  your  humility,  your  meek- 
ness, your  submission ;  and  if  it  produce  this 
effect,  it  will  have  answered  a  good  end ;  and, 
though  you  may  lament  the  want  of  these 
comforts,  you  have  no  reason  to  fear  that  an 
involuntary  want  will  be  imputed  to  you  as 
a  fault. 

"  With  respect  to  the  love  of  fame,  or 
wordly  estimation,  there  is  very  little  said  up- 
on it  in  Scripture,  less  perhaps  than  on  any 
motive  of  human  conduct.  But  it  may  be 
said  generally,  that  this  passion,  like  every 
other  belonging  to  our  frame,  when  it  be- 
comes the  predominant  and  ruling  passion, 
becomes  unlawful  and  sinful :  but  when 
kept  within  proper  bounds,  and  directed  to 


BISHOP    PORTKl^. 

tvorthy  objects,  it  is  then  certainly  allowable. 
It  is  in  short  to  be  governed  and  regulated, 
not  to  be  exterminated.     Mr.  Wilberforce 
himself  says,  that    it  is  then  only  a  corrupt 
principle  of  action,  when  it  is  tinctured  with  a 
disposition  to  estimate  too  highly  and  to  love 
too  ardently  the  good  opinion  of  man ;  when 
it  prompts  us  to  pride  ourselves  on  our  na- 
tural or  acquired  endowments  ;  to  assume 
to  ourselves  the  merit  and  credit  of  our  good 
qualities,  instead  of  ascribing  all  the  honour 
and  glory,  where  they  are  due.     It  is  only, 
in  short,  an  inordinate,  and  a  too  earnest  pur- 
suit of  wordly  distinction,  that  is  forbidden* 
We  are  not  called    upon  absolutely  to    re- 
nounce it ;  but  when  it  is  voluntarily  bestow- 
ed upon  us  for  actions  intrinsically  good,  we 
may  then  accept  it  with  thankfulness,  as  one 
of  the  rewards  annexed  to  virtue.     Under 
these  restrictions,  therefore,  you  may  have  a 
due  regard  to  the  favour  and  approbation  of 
good  men.     As  to  mentioning  or  preserving 
the  memory  of  any  services  you  have  ren- 
dered to  mankind,  or  to  religion  ;  if  this  be 
done  solely  and  entirely  for  the  purposes  you 
specify,  of  obviating  calumny,  of  exciting 
others  to  follow  your  example,  and  increa- 


224  LIFE   OF 

sing  your  power  of  doing  good,  there  seems 
nothing  in  it  to  blame.  But  if  it  be  mere- 
ly to  gain  applause,  it  is  certainly  contrary 
to  the  true  spirit  of  the  Gospel,  which  for- 
bids all  ostentation,  both  in  the  distribution 
of  alms,  and  in  the  exercise  of  every  other 
Christian  virtue. 

"  In  regard  to  the  last  point  you  touch 
upon — the  liberality  of  the  rich  towards  the 
poor — it  ought  undoubtedly  to  be  propor- 
tioned to  their  wealth  ;  and  they  should  ra- 
ther exceed  than  fall  short  of  the  strict  line 
of  duty.  They  should  give  with  a  willing 
heart  and  a  liberal  hand.  '  Charge  them', 
says  the  Apostle,  *  that  are  rich  in  this  world 
that  they  do  good  ;  that  they  be  rich  in  good 
works;  ready  to  distribute,  willing  to  com- 
municate ;  laying  up  in  store  for  themselves 
a  good  foundation  against  the  time  to  come, 
that  they  may  attain  eternal  life.  But  it  is 
not  said  here  or  any  where  else,  that  I  can 
recollect,  that  the  rich  are  to  deny  themselves 
necessaries.  The  young  man  in  the  Gospel 
indeed  is  commanded,  *  if  he  would  be  per- 
eet)  to  sell  all  that  he  had  and  give  to  the 
poor;'  and  the  first  Disciples  had 4  all  things 
in  common.'  But  no  one,  I  believe  thinks, 


BISHOP  roRTEUS,  225 


that  we  are  now  obliged,  or  called  upon  by 
our  duty,  or  by  any  principle  of  Christiani- 
ty, to  do  either  of  these  things.  Neither,  I 
•apprehend,  are  we  now  required  to  part  with 
necessaries,  in  order  to  relieve  the  poor.  If 
we  do,  it  is  without  question  highly  com- 
mendable; but  it  is  no  where  required  as  a 
duty.  It  is  out  of  their  abundance,  that  is, 
their  superfluities,  that  St.  Paul  directs  the 
rich  Corinthians  to  contribute  to  the  support 
of  their  poorer  brethren  ;  but  he  does  not 
command  them  to  give  their  all.  The  poor 
widow  indeed,  who  threw  her  mite  into  the 
treasury,  gave  all  her  living  ;  and  therefore 
gave  more,  and  would  have  a  greater  reward 
than  the  rich,  who  gave  from  their  abun- 
dance. Still,  however,  what  they  gave  was* 
of  some  value,  and  was  not  rejected  ;  and 
they  are  not  to  be  discouraged  from  going 
even  so  far.  But  the  further  they  go,  and 
the  greater  sacrifices  they  make  for  the  bene- 
fit of  the  poor,  the  greater  will  be  their  re- 
compense :  For  i  he  that  soweth  sparingly 
shall  reap  also  sparingly,  and  he  that  soweth 
plenteously  shall  reap  also  plenteously  .  '  At 
all  events,  they  ought  most  certainly  not  to 
consume  on  their  pleasures,  their  amuse- 


226  LIFE  OF 

ments,  their  vanities  and  their  pride,  even 
the  overflowings  of  their  fortune.  They 
should  not  indulge  in  needless  splendour, 
magnificence  and  elegance  of  living,  nor  be 
anxious  to  raise  great  families,  or  to  leave 
immoderate  fortunes  behind  them.  What- 
ever can  be  fairly  spared  from  the  necessary 
and  unavoidable  expenses  of  their  situation 
in  life,  and  from  that  reasonable  and  decent 
provision,  which  they  are  bound  to  make 
for  their  families  and  dependents  after  their 
death,  they  ought  undoubtedly  to  appropri- 
ate to  the  relief  of  the  poor,  the  support  of 
religion,  and  the  benefit  of  mankind.  If  they 
go  beyond  this — if  they  part  even  with  ne- 
cessaries to  feed  the  poor — they  deserve 
great  praise  :  they  draw  nearer  to  that  per- 
fection, which  was  recommended  to  the 
young  man  in  the  Gospel,  and  great  will  be 
their  treasure  in  Heaven.  But  I  do  not  find 
that  this  is  enjoined  in  Scripture,  any  more 
than  selling  all  we  have  to  give  to  the  poor. 

"  Upon  the  whole,  I  see  nothing  in  your 
case,  that  need  give  you  any  serious  uneasi- 
ness or  alarm.  Although  we  should  all  aim 
at  the  very  highest  point  of  perfection  in  the 
Christian  temper  and  character,  yet  too  ma~ 


BISHOP  PORTEUS.  227 

My  of  us,  God  knows,  must  expect  to  fall 
short  of  it,  some  in  a  greater,  some  in  a  less 
degree  ;  and  there  must  be  many   grievous 
errors  and  defects  even  in  our  very  best  ser- 
vices ;  yet  these,  we  hope  will  be  forgiven, 
and  our  imperfect  efforts  accepted  through 
the  merits  of  our  Redeemer.     In  our  Fa- 
ther's house,  we  are  told,  are  many  mansions, 
and  different  gradations  of  happiness.   Some 
will  be  rewarded  with  more  and  some  with 
less,  according  to  the  different  progress  they 
have  made  in  Christian  excellence  ;  but  no 
humble,  serious,  conscientious  Christian,  who 
sincerely  wishes  and  strives,  as  far  as  he  is 
able,  to  devote  his  heart  and  life  principally 
to   God ;   who   is  supremely  and  habitually 
governed  by  a  desire  to  know,  and  a  dispo- 
sition to  do  his  will :  and  endeavours  under 
the  influence  of  these  motives,  to  live    as 
much  as  possible  to  his  glory  :   who,  though 
he  cannot  arrive  at  the  perfection  he  aims  at, 
in  his  sentiments  and  feelings,  affections  and 
actions,  yet  uses  his  utmost  efforts  to  come 
as  near  it  as  he  can  ;  and  in   the  meanwhile 
sees  and  deplores  and  labours  to  correct  his 
failings,- — no  such  pious  Christian  as    this 
will,.  I  humbly  conceive,  be  excluded  from 


22S  LIFE   OF 

the  kingdom  of  Heaven,  and  from  some  share 
whatever  that  may  be,  of  future  recom- 
pense." 

In  this  admirable  answer  to  a  perfectly  un- 
known and  anonymous  correspondent,  ex- 
clusively of  the  kindness  of  the  motive, 
which  could  alone  induce  him  to  write  it, 
there  is  such  a  total  absence  of  the  wildness 
of  enthusiasm  ;  the  advice  is  so  judicious, 
so  truly  sound  and  scriptural ;  and  it  offers 
so  much  substantial  consolation  under  the 
doubts  and  fears  to  which  a  religious  mind 
is  sometimes  subject,  that  I  could  not  hesi- 
tate in  giving  it  a  place  in  these  memoirs. 
It  will,  I  am  persuaded,  be  read  with  univer- 
sal interest,  as  the  advice  of  a  man  eminent- 
ly qualified  to  give  it  on  subjects  of  the  ut- 
most moment ;  and  I  am  not  without  the 
hope,  that  it  may  be  the  means,  with  God's 
blessing,  of  recalling  many  from  error ;  of 
fixing  them  in  right  principles  ;  and  of  res- 
cuing them  from  a  state,  of  all  others  the 
most  comfortless  and  wretched, — a  state  of 
uncertainty  and  apprehension,  as  to  what  is 
really  and  strictly  a  Christian's  duty. 

It  will  doubtless    excite  surprise,    that 
amidst  the  numerous  and  perpetual  employ- 


BISHOP   PORTEUS. 


ments  of  so  large  a  diocese,  the  Bishop 
should  have  found  leisure  for  letters  such  as 
this ;  and,  more  particularly,  for  entering 
with  such  minuteness  of  detail  into  the  feel- 
ings and  situation  of  a  person,  with  whom 
he  had  not  the  slightest  acquaintance.  But 
10  those  who  knew  him  well,  it  is  in  no  re- 
spect astonishing.  His  mind,  naturally  ac- 
live  and  vigorous,  required  employment  ; 
:md  long  habit  had  made  it  easy  and  fami- 
liar to  him.  He  was  besides  a  rigid  econo- 
mist of  time.  Unless  illness  prevented  him 
lie  rose  constantly  at  six  in  the  morning,  and 
every  part  of  the  day  had  its  proper,  its  al- 
lotted occupation.  It  was  by  this  regular, 
methodical  arrangement,  from  which  he  ne- 
ver deviated,  that  he  was  enabled  to  dispatch 
Iiis  public,  official  business  with  the  utmost 
accuracy  and  precision,  and  yet  to  perform 
other  duties  not  less  imperative,  in  his  judg- 
ment, than  those,  which  strictly  attached  to 
his  episcopal  station.  He  could  never  satis- 
fy  himself  with  the  mere  formal  discharge 
of  certain  stated  functions.  In  every  way 
that  good  could  be  done,  he  spared  no  pain? 
to  do  it.  He  thought  his  hours  we  1 1  employ 
id,  his  labour  well  repaid,  if,  by  any  cxr-r 
u 


230  X1FE   PF 

tion  of  his  own,  he  could  benefit  a  fellow- 
creature  :  if  he  could  assuage  the  anguish  of 
distress,  lighten  the  pressure  of  calamity, 
calm  the  disquietude  of  a  troubled  mind,  in- 
spire the  timid  with  hope,  or  lead  the  wan- 
derer into  the  way  of  truth.  For  all  these 
acts  of  love,  of  sympathy,  of  kindness,  he 
never  wanted  time.  Whatever  else  might 
require  his  attention,  he  still  found  opportu- 
nity for  these.  He  considered  them,  as  in 
fact  they  are,  an  important  and  indispensa- 
ble part  of  Christian  duty,  and  admitted  no 
plea  of  business,  no  private  gratification,  no 
personal  fatigue,  to  be  an  excuse  for  the  neg- 
lect of  them. 

But  it  was  not  only  in  the  grand  feature  of 
benevolence,  that  the  Bishop  displayed  the 
power  of  religion  over  the  heart  and  con- 
duct. It  was  in  him  a  governing  and  a  ruling 
principle.  It  was  the  main  spring,  which 
constantly  and  uniformly  regulated  his 
thoughts  and  actions.  He  had  indeed,  and 
who  has  not  his  foibles  and  infirmities.  They 
were  however  few,  and  venial,  and  almost 
unavoidable.  For  instance,  amidst  the  toil 
;md  hurry  of  a  laborious  station,  and  from 
threat  anxiety  in  what  he  was  engaged  in,  he 


BISHOP   PORTEUi!,  231 

sometimes  betrayed,  in  the  latter  part  of  his 
life,  a  slight  impatience  of  manner.  But  he 
instantly  checked  it,  and  no  one  more  la- 
mented it  than  himself.  His  disposition  in- 
deed, with  the  exception  of  such  occasional 
transient  interruptions,  arising  from  the  cau- 
ses I  have  mentioned,  was  one  of  the  mild- 
est and  the  sweetest  that  can  be  imagined. 
It  was  the  index  of  a  heart  warmed  with  all 
the  charities  and  sympathies  of  our  nature, 
and  under  the  constant  influence  of  a  meek, 
a  benevolent,  and  a  kind  religion.  In  all  the 
offices  of  devotion,  private  and  public,  he 
was  unfailing  and  exemplary.  Firm  in  his 
belief  of  Christianity,  every  thing  connec- 
ted with  it  engaged  his  attention.  It  was  his 
great  end  and  aim  to  defend,  to  cherish,  to 
promote  it.  The  predominant  object  of  all 
his  wishes  and  desires,  was,  "  in  every  thing 
lie  did,  to  do  it  to  the  glory  of  God."  Yet, 
amidst  a  conduct  so  holy  and  so  pure,  he 
had  no  melancholy,  no  austerity,  no  gloom. 
In  him  were  never  seen  the  sanctified  look, 
the  depressed  brow,  the  sullen  spirit,  the 
dismal  and  desponding  countenance.  Piety, 
as  he  felt  and  understood  it,  was  best  exem- 
plified by  cheerfulness.  He  saw  no  incom'- 


LItK    OF 


patibility  in  the  innocent  pleasures  of  life 
with  the  most  unfeigned  devotion.  He  wish- 
ed to  render  Religion  as  amiable,  as  she  is 
venerable ;  to  place  her  before  the  eyes  of 
men  in  her  most  alluring  and  attracting  form 
— bright,  serene,  unclouded  and  benign  ;  in 
a  word,  to  represent  her,  not  as  the  enemy 
and  the  bane  of  happiness,  but  as  the  guide, 
the  companion,  the  solace,  the  delight  of 
man.  His  own  character  was  framed  on 
this  principle.  He  was  cheerful  without  le- 
vity, serious  and  devout  without  morose - 
ness.  He  lived,  in  short,  as  he  taught  others 
to  live  :  and  this  it  was  which,  far  beyond 
any  other  cause,  gave  such  power,  such 
weight,  such  efficacy  to  his  preaching.  "  An 
orator,"  said  the  great  Roman  Philosopher, 
"  if  he  would  persuade,  must  be  a  good 
man;"  and  still  more  must  the  Christian 
Preacher  be  himself  the  Christian.  Other- 
wise, though  he  should  even  speak  as  an  An- 
gel of  Light,  he  will  speak  in  vain  :  his  elo- 
quence will  be  fruitless,  and  his  advice  will 
be  forgotten* 

Upon  the  whole,  the  Bishop  was,  and  so 
at  least  Posterity  will  consider  him,  a  light 
'5n  his  generation— an  ornament  to  the  times 


BISHOP  I'oim i  s. 

in  v/hichhe  lived.  Firm  and  iixccl  in  his 
own  principles  ;  candid  and  liberal  in  his  sen 
timents  of  others  ;  unalterable  in  his  attach- 
ments ;  unbounded  in  his  acts  of  charity  ; 
meek  and  humble  in  his  disposition  ;  aftable 
and  courteous  in  his  manner  and  deportment, 
ardent  in  his  piety  ;  devoted  to  his  God  ; — 
surely,  such  a  man  well  maintained  the  Chris- 
tian character.  That  all  men  indeed  should 
think  of  him  as  I  do,  is  hardly  to  be  expec- 
ted. When  the  heart  overflows  with  grati- 
tude, such,  I  trust,  as  I  shall  ever  feel,  for 
a  long  course  of  uninterrupted  kindness, 
friendship  and  protection,  it  is  perhaps  im- 
possible to  divest  the  mind  altogether  of 
partiality.  I  am  not  however  aware,  that 
I  have  overstated  any  single  fact,  or  ascribed 
to  him  a  single  quality,  which  he  did  not 
possess.  All  therefore  I  can  say,  is,  and 
they  are  his  own  words,  as  applied  to  Arch- 
bishop Seeker,  that  "  if  he  really  so  lived 
and  acted,  that  the  most  faithful  delineation 
of  his  conduct  must  necessarily  have  the  air 
of  panegyric,  the  fault  is  not  in  the  copy, 
but  in  the  original.'' 

THE  END. 


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UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


